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The Locus 2014 recommended reading is out : http://www.locusmag.com/Magazine/2015/02/2014-locus-recommended-reading-list/
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Feb 1, 2015 16:12
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fritz posted:The Locus 2014 recommended reading is out : http://www.locusmag.com/Magazine/2015/02/2014-locus-recommended-reading-list/ That "Artemis Awakening" book looks interesting. Has anybody read it?
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Feb 1, 2015 20:57
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The fact that California Bones is included kind of ruins its credibility. Was The Mirror Empire that good though? I started it but didn't like the writing style or narration for the first few pages.
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Feb 3, 2015 13:01
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I liked it quite a bit, but I find Hurley's books to be slow starters as a rule.
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Feb 3, 2015 18:26
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Here's some bullshit from the back of my copy of Galapagos. Oh no! Will the seals and the supercomputer be able to defeat the KankaBono invasion???
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Feb 4, 2015 02:49
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Galapagos is actually the real sequel/prequel to Blindsight
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Feb 4, 2015 03:39
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Speaking of Peter Watts... Today's Kindle Daily Deal is the short story collection Beyond the Rift by Peter Watts for $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/kindledailydeal
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Feb 4, 2015 14:11
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Fart of Presto posted:Speaking of Peter Watts... Yuss! Thank you for the tip!
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Feb 4, 2015 14:22
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Just bought Clade by James Bradley. Literary climate change focused science fictiony novel, get behind it! It's got a lot of buzz recently and I hope it's up there with Michael Faber's Book of Strange New Things.
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Feb 5, 2015 04:16
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Hello thread. I've read every culture novel (and a bunch of other Banks books) and I was hankering for some actual decent space opera type stuff. I saw a bunch of Peter F Hamilton books at a second hand shop so I grabbed The Reality Dysfunction. Is that trilogy regarded as any good by you guys? Annoyingly I made the mistake of reading one of the liner blurb things which straight-up ruins what I assume to be a major twist by saying that he 'blows open our perception of the book with a colossal eruption of supernatural horror into the space opera we thought we were reading'. I hate whoever wrote that review with a violence approaching the person who spoiled Dusk till Dawn for me before I had seen it. Does it rely largely on that central conceit to keep things moving and interesting, or is it still worth reading if you know about this aspect in advance? Normally I'd just harden up and read the book but it's very bloody long and I don't want to waste my time. e: fixed Slavvy fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Feb 5, 2015 |
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Feb 5, 2015 05:39
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Slavvy posted:Hello thread. I've read every culture novel (and a bunch of other Banks books) and I was hankering for some actual decent space opera type stuff. I saw a bunch of Peter F Hamilton books at a second hand shop so I grabbed The Reality Dysfunction. Is that trilogy regarded as any good by you guys? Well, if you're looking for more like Banks, definitely turn away. The main strikes against the Night's Dawn trilogy are its length, pointless sex scenes, and disappointing ending. If you're up for a big story with dozens of main characters in a detailed universe with lots of fighting and weapons and plot twists and genre-hopping, and you skip the sex scenes and aren't bothered by the ending, go for it. Most of the subplots are skippable, but it's hard to tell which in advance. But the best I'll say is that it's cool space opera, I can still remember parts of it vivdly after a decade or so, and the horror aspects of the first book are quite effective (but knowing about them in advance won't spoil it if that's what you're up for, although figuring out what's happening and what to do does become the main plot.) E: Also I spoilered some stuff you should have spoilered, considering.
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Feb 5, 2015 05:55
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Slavvy posted:Hello thread. I've read every culture novel (and a bunch of other Banks books) and I was hankering for some actual decent space opera type stuff. I saw a bunch of Peter F Hamilton books at a second hand shop so I grabbed The Reality Dysfunction. Is that trilogy regarded as any good by you guys? It's pretty bad. Wacky stuff that happens for no reason and completely kills any consistent tone in the book, awful awful ending, with a few good sequences/scenes. Even people who like Hamilton would probably tell you to go with one of his later works.
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Feb 5, 2015 05:56
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Sheeeeiiiit. I believed the hype on the cover 
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Feb 5, 2015 06:03
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Slavvy posted:Sheeeeiiiit. I believed the hype on the cover Eh, just read it since you already paid for it, a lot of people love Hamilton still so you could too.
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Feb 5, 2015 06:23
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Hopefully. Keeping in mind the last book I read was Inversions and I got gleefully excited like a hysterical child when he namedrops Special Circumstances toward the end.
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Feb 5, 2015 06:25
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savinhill posted:Eh, just read it since you already paid for it, a lot of people love Hamilton still so you could too. Yes, do this and report in  Hamilton has some strengths. The setting's pretty cool in a crazy maximalist space opera sense and I think the grand menace is fittingly insane. I recall enjoying the action scenes though I was admittedly sixteen.
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Feb 5, 2015 06:27
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Slavvy posted:Hopefully. Keeping in mind the last book I read was Inversions and I got gleefully excited like a hysterical child when he namedrops Special Circumstances toward the end. Yeah, just read the first book for as long as you enjoy it. If you ever start feeling like you're putting up with lots of bad parts in the hopes that Hamilton will provide some good payoff, then feel free to stop, you're not missing out on anything that happens later. Or if you love the first book, then you'll probably like the whole thing.
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Feb 5, 2015 06:59
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So I just finished Fearsome Journeys, a fantasy short story collection from, uh...2013, I think? Didn't check. Kinda hit/miss, if I'm honest. Overall I'd say it's worth a buy, though. Effigy Engine (Scott Lynch) was very fun. Kinda military fantasy about mercenary wizards doing stuff. Breezy, reasonably light on exposition (Though it's got a dump or two), nice prose, fun read. I might pick up a Scott Lynch novel at some point because of it. Amethyst, Shadow, and Light (Saladin Ahmed) was super disappointing. There aren't many (Read, basically zero) muslim fantasy authors in the west right now, especially with Wilson writing for Marvel instead of writing more Urban Fantasy Novels. I was hoping that his output would be great aaaaand it really, really wasn't. The prose, plot, and characters all managed to disappoint. Camp Follower (Trudi Canavan) was...a thing. Lotsa rape, though all off screen. Not a fan. Also, her name isn't Canaveran? I've been getting it wrong for a while now! The Dragonslayer of Merebarton (K J Parker) was...well done, I guess. It's too clinical, and while that's a purposeful choice I don't think it works very well for the short. Interesting enough, at least. Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine (Kate Elliot) is actually very good. I kinda glanced over it at first, but on a reread it's a very well put together tale. Spirits of Salt: A Tale of the Coral Sword (Jeffrey Ford) also kinda just exists. I didn't end up thinking a lot of it Forever People (Robert V S Redick) is something I feel like I should more. It's certainly interesting, but ultimately I think the ambiguity it often insists on hurts it immensely. Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl (Ellen Klages) light and fun and ultimately forgettable. That's...really it? It turns the normal convention of a Standard Sword and Sorcery short on its head, and does it competently, but the almost stooges-esque humor didn't do it for me. Shaggy Dog Bridge: A Black Company Story (Glen Cook) was kinda subpar for Black Company. I like the actual novel-set, but this just didn't do it for me. Something about it felt...phoned in, though I can't put my finger on it. The Ghost Makers (Elizabeth Bear) is what Saladin Ahmed should've written. It's really well done, has a very well put together plot, stellar characters, nice prose, all that good stuff. The way it pulls back layers is pretty well done, even if I called some of the twists. I'd probably put it at my favorite of the collection. Not just because I'm a sucker for arabian fantasy. One Last, Great Adventure (Ellen Kushner & Ysabeau Wilce) is something I wanted to like, but didn't end up thinking a huge amount of. It's got a really cool concept, plot's solid, but it kinda falls flat at a couple points in the middle. Ultimately it's serviceable and nice enough. The High King Dreaming (Daniel Abraham) was pretty well done! I started out pretty sour on it, but it pleasantly surprised me at the end. Not standard, didn't quite fit the stated goals of the anthology, but it's interesting.
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Feb 5, 2015 07:28
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RVProfootballer posted:It's pretty bad. Wacky stuff that happens for no reason and completely kills any consistent tone in the book, awful awful ending, with a few good sequences/scenes. Even people who like Hamilton would probably tell you to go with one of his later works. Nah, in contrast to his later works, Nights Dawn is perfectly OK. But maybe you like your space elves and space elephants. The good part about Nights Dawn is the space marine scenes and the ship battles, the rest is pretty meh.
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Feb 5, 2015 07:56
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BashGhouse posted:Effigy Engine (Scott Lynch) was very fun. Kinda military fantasy about mercenary wizards doing stuff. Breezy, reasonably light on exposition (Though it's got a dump or two), nice prose, fun read. I might pick up a Scott Lynch novel at some point because of it. Partly quoting so I can lookup this collection. Worth noting that Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora is probably one of the most loved books in this forum and thread, though some people dislike the sequels. I'm sure someone didn't like it, but I can't recall anyone having any criticisms that seemed to stick.
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Feb 5, 2015 18:23
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BashGhouse posted:So I just finished Fearsome Journeys, a fantasy short story collection from, uh...2013, I think? Didn't check. If you liked Redick's writing style and just didn't like the plot of this short story, he has a really good series(assuming you're not already aware of it)
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Feb 5, 2015 22:47
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Nevvy Z posted:Partly quoting so I can lookup this collection. Worth noting that Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora is probably one of the most loved books in this forum and thread, though some people dislike the sequels. I'm sure someone didn't like it, but I can't recall anyone having any criticisms that seemed to stick. Aha, I knew I heard of him before. I'll check it out. savinhill posted:If you liked Redick's writing style and just didn't like the plot of this short story, he has a really good series(assuming you're not already aware of it) Going by his wiki page I assume you're talking about Chathrand Voyage?
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Feb 5, 2015 22:50
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I've read book 1 of that and have always meant to read the rest. It was pretty good; a little YA-ish but not to the book's detriment. Some of the subplots are incredible, like the rat character.
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Feb 5, 2015 22:53
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Nevvy Z posted:Worth noting that Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora is probably one of the most loved books in this forum and thread, though some people dislike the sequels. I'm just now getting around to this. It's pretty great so far.
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Feb 5, 2015 23:04
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BashGhouse posted:Aha, I knew I heard of him before. I'll check it out. Yeah, he's only written the one series so far but I hope he has a lot more writing in his future. Hedrigall posted:I've read book 1 of that and have always meant to read the rest. It was pretty good; a little YA-ish but not to the book's detriment. Some of the subplots are incredible, like the rat character. Felthrup, one of my absolute favorite fantasy characters, I love that little rat dude so much. He gets a bunch of facetime and his own plots in the sequels if that gives you more incentive to read em.
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Feb 5, 2015 23:09
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savinhill posted:Felthrup, one of my absolute favorite fantasy characters, I love that little rat dude so much. He gets a bunch of facetime and his own plots in the sequels if that gives you more incentive to read em. It does! It's been like 6-7 years since I read the first though, so I'm going to read it again (actually probably as an audiobook) before I continue the series.
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Feb 5, 2015 23:10
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Hedrigall posted:It does! It's been like 6-7 years since I read the first though, so I'm going to read it again (actually probably as an audiobook) before I continue the series. Oh good. The audiobooks have Michael Page as a narrator and he's perfect for the characters in this.
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Feb 5, 2015 23:21
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savinhill posted:Yeah, he's only written the one series so far but I hope he has a lot more writing in his future. The series is pretty great and the ending is actually surprisingly decent. Maybe a little too much of making every villain worse than the previous, but a very enjoyable series.
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Feb 6, 2015 11:32
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Really? I stopped reading that after the second book which pretty much murdered all sense of pace it had. Might consider picking it up again. edit: Oh, yeah, and an extremely weird and physically impossible romance. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 12:09 on Feb 6, 2015 |
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Feb 6, 2015 12:06
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Hugotalk: Kameron Hurley talks about how getting one trebled her advances here: http://www.kameronhurley.com/what-i-get-paid-for-my-novels-or-why-im-not-quitting-my-day-job/ I think the original question was about sales rather than advances in particular, and it's only double the size of her original contract (not triple) but in one case, at least, it's quite telling.
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Feb 6, 2015 13:47
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Yeah, that was the article that made me go 'I was completely wrong!' And a writer probably makes most of her money off advances, so.
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Feb 6, 2015 16:39
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Two questions: 1. I just finished Fall of Hyperion and loved it. Is Endymion really as bad as I've heard? 2. Where should I start with Gene Wolfe?
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Feb 8, 2015 16:16
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Bold Robot posted:Two questions: 2. I would start with The Shadow of the Torturer and the rest of the New Sun books if you enjoy it. I think they're fantastic and were the first Gene Wolfe books I read, many years ago.
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Feb 8, 2015 16:44
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Bold Robot posted:Two questions: Holy poo poo, yes it is. I was exactly like you - a lot of people don't like Fall, but it really worked for me. Then I read Endymion. It's the rare sequel capable of canceling out all your positive sentiments towards the antecedent by making it retroactively lovely. Don't read it. Here, let me spoil the cool poo poo you will find in Endymion. The space Catholics build an extremely spaceship that accelerates so fast it crushes the crew into paste. They're reconstructed by cruciform symbiotes when they get to their destination. Congratulations, that's all the cool poo poo you will find in Endymion. 
General Battuta fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Feb 8, 2015 |
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Feb 8, 2015 16:57
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I finished reading Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski, the first book in The Witcher Saga. Much better English translation than The Last Wish (A collection of short stories starring Geralt before the main book series). It ends on a cliffhanger, but I really liked the writing style, especially the chapters that describe entire scenes through dialogue. I also really like the way magic and science are handled in the setting. Basically, a bunch of realities crashed together in an event called The Conjunction of the Spheres, which deposited magic, monsters and strange anachronisms into the world. So while having magic is nice, it doesn't automatically disprove science, and the two coexist. Basically, most things have a place in the world, and those that don't, such as the monsters thrown there by the Conjunction, are to be hunted down and destroyed. I actually found the chapters involving Ciri's development more interesting than the overall plot of the Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard gearing up for another war, but that has to do with the cliffhanger ending. Ciri's training was really well fleshed out, and made fantastic use of those aforementioned dialogue only scenes. I really got a sense for the type of dance like swordfighting the Witchers use, just through Ciri's training sessions. Arc Hammer fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Feb 9, 2015 |
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Feb 8, 2015 17:12
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Bold Robot posted:2. Where should I start with Gene Wolfe? I recommend The Fifth Head of Cerberus. The Book of the New Sun and the other Solar Cycle books are peak Wolfe, but the Book is incredibly dense and can be confusing and hard to follow. The Fifth Head is more compact and introduces you to Wolfe's writing style. It is also a downright excellent post colonial text. His short stories are also really awesome for an introduction. After that Peace and the Wizard Knight are both well written and enjoyable.
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Feb 8, 2015 17:26
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General Battuta posted:Here, let me spoil the cool poo poo you will find in Endymion. The space Catholics build an extremely That is really fuckin' cool, but okay yeah I will skip it.
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Feb 8, 2015 17:39
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General Battuta posted:Here, let me spoil the cool poo poo you will find in Endymion. The space Catholics build an extremely Also the organic Dyson spheres.
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Feb 8, 2015 18:13
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Endymion is kinda amazing in that it not only manages to suck every little bit of cool out of the Hyperion/Fall story, but also manages to get even worse in its sequel. edit: Actually, here's the one cool bit from that: they use a Schödinger kittybox as a death penalty. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Feb 8, 2015 |
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Feb 8, 2015 18:30
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There was that one cool scene where the Space Pope is going to die and the priests kill him again so they can get the Pope they want. That sounded dumb but I remember it being cool. And the FTL ships that killed the crew every time they jumped.
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Feb 8, 2015 19:46
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