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Kalman posted:Give The Goblin Emperor a shot - fun read, not building up a country so much as building up political control over a country unexpectedly inherited, but I think it might scratch the itch.
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May 4, 2014 03:28
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Someone in some random thread forever ago was talking about a fantasy story featuring a city towards which four colossal doom monsters were slowly treading from each cardinal direction. I can't remember much else about the story and am having a tough time tracking it down.
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May 4, 2014 07:16
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Velius posted:Meanwhile I haven't bought a thing since Words of Radiance, and before that was Republic of Thieves or something. Do publishers assume more people read in summertime or something? Yes, of course and with good reason. People buy books for summertime reading at the beach and for wintertime reading/gifting at Christmas (this alone makes up the majority of book sales in certain (= mainstream bestseller) categories). Book publishing is pretty similar to cinema releases in this regard.
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May 4, 2014 08:13
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Decius posted:Yes, of course and with good reason. People buy books for summertime reading at the beach and for wintertime reading/gifting at Christmas (this alone makes up the majority of book sales in certain (= mainstream bestseller) categories). Book publishing is pretty similar to cinema releases in this regard. Who reads at the beach? You'd get sand all through your book, ugh
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May 4, 2014 08:21
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Isn't that what cheap paper backs are for? And you need something to do while you're tanning, though this may be an unfamiliar experience to most goons.
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May 4, 2014 11:57
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Kalman posted:Give The Goblin Emperor a shot - fun read, not building up a country so much as building up political control over a country unexpectedly inherited, but I think it might scratch the itch. I just started this and am enjoying it a lot, but I'm puzzled why Maia would trust from word go a courier of the Lord Chancellor, because unless I'm misunderstanding the role of couriers I thought they were loyal to their "employers".
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May 4, 2014 15:33
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mango sentinel posted:Someone in some random thread forever ago was talking about a fantasy story featuring a city towards which four colossal doom monsters were slowly treading from each cardinal direction. I can't remember much else about the story and am having a tough time tracking it down. Maybe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Land ?
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May 4, 2014 17:09
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This is it! The Watchers are the giant monsters. Thank you.
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May 4, 2014 17:26
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That sounds way ahead of its time. I remember hearing about it years ago but didn't think much of it, will have to check it out. Is the Greg Bear novel written in homage to it any good?
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May 4, 2014 19:47
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Neurosis posted:Is the Greg Bear novel written in homage to it any good? I haven't read it, but it's Greg Bear, and really, what are the odds.
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May 4, 2014 19:49
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Neurosis posted:That sounds way ahead of its time. I remember hearing about it years ago but didn't think much of it, will have to check it out. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004GKNM3W/ref=oh_d__o02_details_o02__i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It was excellent. Haven't read the Greg Bear stuff, I will check that out. John C. Wright also wrote a book of short stories in the same universe, but you know... John C. Wright.
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May 4, 2014 19:49
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Less Fat Luke posted:There's a new-ish edition I just read named The Night Land, A Story Retold: I have a high tolerance for John C Wright's craziness, given that for his flaws he IS really imaginative and a decent writer, so will look into it anyway. Further, since it's Dying Earth the setting is sufficiently removed from the modern day the opportunity to disseminate horrible opinions should be reduced.
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May 4, 2014 19:55
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I actually read the John Wright, and it wasn't horrible, but get it used.
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May 4, 2014 19:57
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I just finished the trilogy so I'm going to recommend this again: The Darwin Elevator (The Dire Earth Cycle) quote:In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura. http://www.amazon.com/Darwin-Elevator-Dire-Earth-Cycle-ebook/dp/B00BABT9VY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399232871&sr=8-1&keywords=darwin+elevator It's fun and adventurous, but not too simple. It also doesn't really lean as heavily on the whole zombie thing as you'd think from the description and it borrows a lot of ideas from Big Dumb Object stories, Indiana Jones, Firefly and post apocalyptic fiction.
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May 4, 2014 20:50
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^^^ Luke Skaywalker? coyo7e posted:This reminded me that I'd been meaning to check out Goblin Quest by Jim C Hines.
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May 4, 2014 21:40
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coyo7e posted:^^^ Luke Skaywalker? I believe they joke about it in the book so who knows what the author was thinking
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May 4, 2014 21:51
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I just finished reading The Goblin Emperor. Honestly, I really liked it. It's very light reading, but its optimistic and light-hearted tone were a really pleasant change from most of what you can get today. It's probably the only fantasy novel I've read in ages that didn't leave me feeling vaguely depressed and disgusted with everyone involved while reading it. If there's any real criticism of it I have, it's that the glossary is about five pages long in tiny print and I spend at least a hundred pages just trying to learn all the made-up fantasy gobbledygook. There's only so much of that stuff I can stand. I also thought that the protagonist was almost a bit too nice. Nobody except a saint is that forgiving and compassionate with his enemies. Still, it was entertaining and brightened my day a bit, which is really all I ask for from genre literature.
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May 4, 2014 22:23
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Neurosis posted:I have a high tolerance for John C Wright's craziness, given that for his flaws he IS really imaginative and a decent writer, so will look into it anyway. Further, since it's Dying Earth the setting is sufficiently removed from the modern day the opportunity to disseminate horrible opinions should be reduced. I dunno, the stories the genre was named after had some pretty dodgy stuff in them. Vance wasn't Piers Anthony, sure, but he could be a bit of a creepy old man.
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May 4, 2014 22:45
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Just finished up the Bob Moore series by Tom Andry. Basically, the main character is a PI in a world of superheroes, and his ex wife is one of the top members of their version of the Justice League. It's... surprisingly good. It gets pretty dark at times, but overall I have to say it was a pretty new and unique take on a superhero novel series. 99% of them that come out are about the heroes themselves and how hard they have to fight or what powers they have, etc. This is more detective based, cause the guy has no powers whatsoever. Still doesn't stop him from getting into trouble though.
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May 5, 2014 00:17
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SciFi sale at Audible till may 10th http://www.audible.com/mt/SuperSciFi_ALL
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May 5, 2014 00:26
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Kraps posted:SciFi sale at Audible till may 10th http://www.audible.com/mt/SuperSciFi_ALL Thanks for the tip. Got Avogadro Corp. for $2.
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May 5, 2014 05:21
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Just had VanderMeer's Authority delivered to my Kindle. My free time for the next day or two is now accounted for.
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May 6, 2014 05:49
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Neurosis posted:Just had VanderMeer's Authority delivered to my Kindle. My free time for the next day or two is now accounted for.
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May 6, 2014 05:51
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Does anyone know what the difference between the two Kindle versions of The Golem and the Djinni are? Kindle Edition $10.42 Kindle Edition, August 15, 2013 $6.74
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May 6, 2014 18:49
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Donald Duck posted:Does anyone know what the difference between the two Kindle versions of The Golem and the Djinni are? What Amazon store is this? I only see one on the US store here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008QXVDJ0/ See if they're from different publishers, otherwise I'd probably just download a sample of the cheaper one to see if there's any glaring problems with formatting and go for it. Long ago Amazon often had different kindle versions for sale of a book, but seemed to have stopped that for the most part and only one version would be available. When I bought Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides a couple years ago or so there were two kindle versions but from different publishers, that may be the same reason why you see two versions whichever Amazon store you're looking at.
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May 7, 2014 17:54
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Donald Duck posted:Does anyone know what the difference between the two Kindle versions of The Golem and the Djinni are? Usually that's simply two different publishers, I find that very often here on European Amazon - the one is the US published Kindle version imported and the other the UK version. Sometimes the more expensive one has an earlier release date, like here, where the more expensive one was released in April, the cheaper in August. Oddly both by the same publisher it seems.
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May 7, 2014 18:55
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John C Wright wrote an article about Heinlein and Leftist Thought Police. It's pretty lol.
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May 7, 2014 20:57
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Megazver posted:John C Wright wrote an article about Heinlein and Leftist Thought Police. It's pretty lol. Jesus christ, this dude. A good reply in that thread posted:Yes, Orson Scott Card really expressed the mildest possible opposition towards gay marriage. What could possibly be milder than "Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage". John C Wright posted:Let us assume for the sake of argument that Card, Beale, Ashley all have exactly the opinions as Mr Selig and Mr Barton characterize them: homophobic, racist, and misogynist. Are the private opinions of the accused a sufficient warrant for public boycotts, expulsions, and witchhunts, followed by an (apparently) neverending and unforgiving ritual of public denunciation? Y...yes?
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May 7, 2014 22:45
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Mandragora posted:Jesus christ, this dude. What I've learned so far is that rhetorical questions from people obsessed with the PC police terrorism are really easily answered.
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May 7, 2014 22:58
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Megazver posted:John C Wright wrote an article about Heinlein and Leftist Thought Police. It's pretty lol. For some reason I misread this as "Jim C. Hines wrote an article" and was very confused at first. Then I realized "Oh, it's John C. Wright." When you're reading John C. Wright you have to always take this into account: quote:I am more than a presumably rational individual, I am a champion of atheism who gave arguments in favor of atheism so convincing that three of my friends gave up their religious belief due to my persuasive reasoning powers, and my father stopped going to church. http://www.scifiwright.com/2011/09/a-question-i-never-tire-of-answering/ The man literally sees visions. I mean, I'm not judging anyone's belief system here, and I'm not saying that all Christians are misogynists or racist or anything like that, but if you're basing your actions and beliefs on visions only you can see, you may not find a lot of people agreeing with you. Whatever the guy is saying, he's not operating from premises that are based on evidence anyone else can see. He's operating based on his visions.
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May 7, 2014 23:08
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When people say Wright has gone insane I didn't know they meant it that literally.
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May 7, 2014 23:10
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I just got Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb for 50c at the library thanks to this thread (mostly the NPR map at the beginning). The character names, judging from the back, are ridiculous: "Prince Chivalry", "King Shrewd"
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May 7, 2014 23:58
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Alec Eiffel posted:I just got Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb for 50c at the library thanks to this thread (mostly the NPR map at the beginning). The character names, judging from the back, are ridiculous: "Prince Chivalry", "King Shrewd" Not any more absurd in principle than Faith, Hope, Charity, August, Earnest, Clement, or any number of other virtues used as names in any language.
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May 8, 2014 00:21
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:For some reason I misread this as "Jim C. Hines wrote an article" and was very confused at first. Then I realized "Oh, it's John C. Wright." Isn't that entire big quote basically summed up as "No atheists in a foxhole"? I WAS EUPHORIC AND TIPPING ME FEDORA AND THEN SUDDENLY 40 YEARS OF DORITOS AND POOR HEALTH CHOICES MADE ME REALIZE I WAS MORTAL AND NEEDED TO SPEND MY REMAINING TIME NOT BEING AN ATHEIST AND ALSO COMPLAINING ABOUT THE GAYS. I just... gently caress man, I hate seeing when authors post poo poo online and let me know they are loving crazy. It's so god damned hard to enjoy the books after that, and it taints the fun you had when you read em before reading that kinda stuff. I dunno if it's just the ME ME ME ME mentality of the internet where people need to spout off about their beliefs regarding every god damned thing on the planet, but drat I wish agents had a little zapper button that would shock em when they go to post up something that is completely irrelevant to my enjoyment of the book, and yes I understand the irony in this statement. It's just... drat I just wanna read books man. I don't wanna worry about if I'm supporting some asshat who hates poo poo I like, or likes poo poo I hate. I was always taught the things you don't discuss are easy. Politics, religion, and the mate of the person you are talking to. Keeps it pretty simple. No arguments, no freaking out, no backing away slowly and wondering why the hell they felt the need to share a vision with me. That being said, I haven't read any of his books (to my knowledge anyway), but maybe being a bit off his rocker is what let's him be a successful sci fi writer?
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May 8, 2014 00:34
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I never get why these guys are so opposed to having a more diverse crowd in a field they claim to love. Cross-Atlantic SFF is big in part because the viewpoint and frame of reference of the author on the other side of the pond is so different, it contributes to the feel of the worldbuilding, and makes the sense of "this is another place" seem that much more real. Now take it a step further. Do you think the dystopia envisioned by a woman from the slums of India is going to look anything like the standard "nazis with the serial numbers filed off" thing we see here? Do you think future sexual politics from a Thai transwoman is going to look anything like what is in the books coming out of Baen these days? Do you think that an Iranian man's vision of a hopeful future is going to be identical to the "singularity aka rapture of the white nerds" we see from Ace? Do you think an epic fantasy from a Sudanese man who grew up with Dinka history instead of European feudalism is going to be your standard Tolkien knockoff? "We" completely upended visions of dystopia. And that is from Russia, pretty close to the usual American-European cultural norms. The sheer variety and growth the field could see from reaching afield to those with vastly different experiences is astounding. If you love the body of work, it boggles my mind that you wouldn't want to tap into that.
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May 8, 2014 01:19
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e: nm but I strongly agree with you!
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May 8, 2014 01:52
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Isn't that entire big quote basically summed up as "No atheists in a foxhole"? It may be. Some of his books are legit good and some are what happens when a crazy person reads too much Heinlein. Personally I give someone like Wright, who legitimately sees actual visions, a lot more leeway than someone like Card who's just a homophobe. It ain't Wright's fault, his brain broke. If I buy Wright's books I'm helping out a very creative person who happens to have a brain disorder. Edit: I realize this is denying Wright agency.
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May 8, 2014 02:15
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Alec Eiffel posted:I just got Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb for 50c at the library thanks to this thread (mostly the NPR map at the beginning). The character names, judging from the back, are ridiculous: "Prince Chivalry", "King Shrewd" Nobles in this series are named after virtues that their parents hope they come to possess. Shrewd, Patience, Chivalry, Verity, August, etc. Commoners are much more likely to be named "Tom" or "Molly" or the like.
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May 8, 2014 02:19
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:It may be. Some of his books are legit good and some are what happens when a crazy person reads too much Heinlein. Having read all the series Wright has published: read the sci-fi, it's good, ignore the fantasy, it's poo poo. I was aware he had vile opinions but did not know he was actually insane. Huh.
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May 8, 2014 07:31
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I don't think the vision stuff makes him insane, it's just your typical near-death experience type stuff that some people experience when they almost die. The weird part is him interpreting the experience to mean he should became a huge dickwad.
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May 8, 2014 07:47
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