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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:I also added The Windup Girl, as I've read good things about it (I know it's not exactly what I described, but I think she'll like it) As much as I loved the story and setting, the brutal and graphic rape scene mid way through the book always makes Windup Girl a tricky recommendation.
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Mar 3, 2015 14:51
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Snuffman posted:As much as I loved the story and setting, the brutal and graphic rape scene mid way through the book always makes Windup Girl a tricky recommendation. Hm, good to know. I thought I remembered reading a spoiler about that while back. I'll probably just warn her.
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Mar 3, 2015 15:00
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Try out Blood of Elves from the Witcher series. There is some sex, but it isn't that graphic, and its a pretty quick read (though know that it does set up the rest of the series so its a bit of a cliffhanger). Geralt is the main protagonist, but Ciri and Triss Merigold both get major roles in it.
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Mar 3, 2015 15:23
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:She's looking for: It's a bit longer than the requested length but I think "Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell" by Suzannah Clarke hits all the other request marks. Edit: also sans strong female protagonist...sorry. Snuffman fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Mar 3, 2015 |
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Mar 3, 2015 15:39
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A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark by Harry Connolly is pretty good, but it skews more towards urban fantasy.There are vamps, but the lead character doesn't really interact with them over the course of the book. The lead is also a 60 year old woman, so there's not much in the realm of violence or sex scenes (thank god) or anything, but there's plenty of magic kinda stuff. It's an interesting book, and probably the only pacifist lead I have ever read in a book in my life. She's 60, but still comes across as pretty awesome. It's fairly unique, but worth a read. I think it's available on kindle as well. The series is called The Auntie Mame files, if that helps make a decision on it. (yea it doesn't match up to your specifics but dammit I will promote this book as much as possible just for the sheer "What the gently caress?" of having an urban fantasy book with a pacifist as the lead)
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Mar 3, 2015 15:46
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Seanan Mcguire's Indexing, maybe? It's largely about fairy tales intruding into our reality- the primary narrator is a woman, there's no graphic sex or violence (As a bonus, Mcguire's stated outright that she never plans to include rape in anything she writes.) No vampires, though the lead has issues with having contracted a case of being Snow White, which leads to looking a bit like one at times. It started as a series of shorts, so it reads pretty quickly.
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Mar 3, 2015 15:51
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Blood of Elves: I'm a fan of the Witcher games. I snuck this on the list to see if she'll read it and like it, then I can gloat that she read a book based on a video game I like. Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell: Added for later. Probably not one to get her going, but sounds like something she might like later on. Auntie Mame series: Haha, she might really like that a lot. Sounds like Dresden Files but an older lady? Seanan Mcquire's Indexing: Sounds good, added (bonus points for kindle unlimited). I'm adding these all to an amazon wishlist. I got her a kindle for her as an early birthday present (should arrive today), so she's probably just going to go to that list and get a few. Books that aren't on kindle are added to the list so maybe we can find it at the local bookstore. She's also probably going to pick the one that she can get her friends to read as sort of a book club, but they're all into such different stuff that they can't even decide on what tv show to watch together. In other news: I'm loving the gently caress out of The Quantum Thief (although I had to start it over after visiting wikipedia to figure out what the hell was going on. It makes so much more sense now that I know what all this technology is, and it's amazing.)
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Mar 3, 2015 16:24
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:Blood of Elves: I'm a fan of the Witcher games. I snuck this on the list to see if she'll read it and like it, then I can gloat that she read a book based on a video game I like.
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Mar 3, 2015 17:25
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Speaking of weirdly good video game books, the Crysis novelization by Peter Watts was actually pretty damned good. Liked it way better than the game.
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Mar 3, 2015 17:28
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:Auntie Mame series: Haha, she might really like that a lot. Sounds like Dresden Files but an older lady? That's not the actual name of the series, just the writer's way of describing it. Auntie Mame is a book (and a movie) from 1955. You can also read the first six chapters on his site.] Also, Stupid_Sexy_Flander, you should repost that mini-review in the Dresden Files/Urban Fantasy thread. Megazver fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Mar 3, 2015 |
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Mar 3, 2015 17:29
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:Blood of Elves: I'm a fan of the Witcher games. I snuck this on the list to see if she'll read it and like it, then I can gloat that she read a book based on a video game I like. The Witcher games are based on the books, not the other way around.
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Mar 3, 2015 17:31
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Kalenn Istarion posted:The Witcher games are based on the books, not the other way around. If she doesn't know, he can still gloat about it. 
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Mar 3, 2015 17:32
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P.C. Hodgell's Godstalk series has a strong female protagonist. I'm re-reading it now and it's held up pretty well! Charles de Lint does a good job, too.
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Mar 3, 2015 19:47
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Forgall posted:Games are based on books, not other way around actually. Kalenn Istarion posted:The Witcher games are based on the books, not the other way around.  Mind. Blown. That's actually what I meant. That I can gloat that she liked a book that a video game I like was based on. Too much coffee. But thanks for quoting my oversight for posterity! Megazver posted:If she doesn't know, he can still gloat about it. And gloat I will. Rest assured. Seriously nobody wants to talk about The Quantum Thief? I love this poo poo and that thread is dead.
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Mar 3, 2015 20:09
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Regarding the Witcher books, it should also be noted that the six-part saga starting with Blood of the Elves is actually not the first book; there's I think three books of shorter stories that preclude it. edit: VVV Right, I forgot they started translating them after the games. Please tell me you got the one about the dragon hunt? Because that's probably the best Geralt story out there, games and saga included. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Mar 3, 2015 |
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Mar 3, 2015 20:15
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WanilEhilated posted:Regarding the Witcher books, it should also be noted that the six-part saga starting with Blood of the Elves is actually not the first book; there's I think three books of shorter stories that preclude it. Well, sword of destiny isn't due out in english until later this year. The last wish is decent, but a bit wonky and it might throw her off. I certainly felt the blood of elves translation was a lot better to be honest, and the story still works without the introduction short stories. Kind of in medias res, but the book still provides enough exposition to explain all the main character's relationships to each other without bogging it all down. Its the first I'd read of triss (because again, sword of destiny isn't out yet) but I still had a good sense of how she fit into geralt's web of acquaintances
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Mar 3, 2015 20:33
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Forgall posted:Games are based on books, not other way around actually. http://www.amazon.com/Zork-Chronicles-Infocom-George-Effinger/dp/038075388X but never mind.
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Mar 3, 2015 20:52
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I remember hearing about a book about things which made people go insane when they saw them, and the protagonist was a woman who had managed to avoid them. Does anyone know the name of this? I couldn't think of a phrase that turned anything up in Google.
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Mar 4, 2015 07:19
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Hadaka Apron posted:I remember hearing about a book about things which made people go insane when they saw them, and the protagonist was a woman who had managed to avoid them. Does anyone know the name of this? I couldn't think of a phrase that turned anything up in Google. You might have better luck asking in the cosmic horror thread.
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Mar 4, 2015 07:26
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Hadaka Apron posted:I remember hearing about a book about things which made people go insane when they saw them, and the protagonist was a woman who had managed to avoid them. Does anyone know the name of this? I couldn't think of a phrase that turned anything up in Google. Langford Parrot?
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Mar 4, 2015 07:29
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Hadaka Apron posted:I remember hearing about a book about things which made people go insane when they saw them, and the protagonist was a woman who had managed to avoid them. Does anyone know the name of this? I couldn't think of a phrase that turned anything up in Google. No clue but it sounds pretty cool.
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Mar 4, 2015 10:54
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:No clue but it sounds pretty cool. I answered in the Identify a book thread. Bird Box.
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Mar 4, 2015 14:09
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And we have a sample downloading now! Woohoo I love having a kindle  edit- hahahahah Harry Connolly retweeted someone's screencap of me saying I would always be promoting his Auntie Mame files book.
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Mar 4, 2015 14:14
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It was me.
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Mar 4, 2015 14:31
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Hedrigall posted:I answered in the Identify a book thread. Bird Box. I bought this when it was on sale for 2 bucks. Any good?
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Mar 4, 2015 15:19
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:No clue but it sounds pretty cool. I think it may be Lexicon, by Max Barry.
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Mar 5, 2015 15:05
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I think this is the right thread, has anyone read the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer? I read a few articles about them and got really excited so I picked up the first one and was just unimpressed. I get what it was going for, I just really didn't care at any point while I was reading it what was happening. Is the rest of the trilogy worth it or should I just move on?
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Mar 5, 2015 15:24
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I thought they were all loving amazing, with Authority being kind of a slog but ultimately worth it and Acceptance absolutely nailing the finish in a way Lost and other genre mystery stories haven't. But if you didn't like Annihilation you won't like the rest. Acceptance is the warmest and most human book in the trilogy, but it's last.
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Mar 5, 2015 15:34
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Iron Lung posted:I think this is the right thread, has anyone read the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer? I read a few articles about them and got really excited so I picked up the first one and was just unimpressed. I get what it was going for, I just really didn't care at any point while I was reading it what was happening. Is the rest of the trilogy worth it or should I just move on? Preface: I have not read the last book. I loved Vandermeer's Ambergris trilogy and the Southern Reach sounded amazing. In practice, not so much. I feel like he was going overboard on the ~mystery~ without revealing anything. I get it, I really do. Whatever the audience can come up with in their mind is probably scarier than anything he can put to paper, but he pushed it waaay too far with the mundane-but-slightly-off atmosphere (I'm thinking more of the second book here). The second book will not grab you if the first book doesn't. For the record, I preferred the first book. EDIT: Ok...I'll give you, the scene at the end of Authority where the zone suddenly expands was pretty cool but what a slog that book was. Acceptance is better? Snuffman fucked around with this message at 15:40 on Mar 5, 2015 |
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Mar 5, 2015 15:38
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Yeah, I was super excited to read it, and in theory should love it since I'm a big biology nerd but I just couldn't get excited about pretty much anything. I'll skip the rest, guess its time to get into the First Law trilogy unless you have any other recommendations I should check out! Just finished an ASOIAF partial re-read so I was looking for a break before reading the last two. Probably going to read or re-read a few Gibson books as well, its been way too long since I read Neuromancer in an afternoon. Edit: thanks for the second reply as well, that was pretty much exactly how I felt but I was never worried or anything, it was more like "yeah yeah ok what is happening next" not "oh my god a reed THING." I got it, but I just didn't get into it. First time thats happened in a long time so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Iron Lung fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Mar 5, 2015 |
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Mar 5, 2015 15:39
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I liked Annihilation a lot but found Authority and Acceptance tedious. Sure it's a statement about the unknown and the new weird and whatever but if you throw out key elements of a narrative then it's not going to be satisfying to read, which is what happened here. I really enjoyed the Ambergris books. Also, not to single out Snuffman, but the 'whatever you can come up with in your head will be better' excuse for authors eliding certain parts of things is getting overused nowadays. I'm not sitting there devising theories for everything an author omits, particularly when the components omitted are core narrative elements necessary to constitute a story. Not to say limiting the reader's knowledge can't serve a purpose; the unknown may add to a sense of mystique or dread but equally (if not more often) it's a technique used because the author can't think of any way to elaborate in a satisfying manner.
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Mar 5, 2015 16:19
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Acceptance was cool because it didn't go for 'whatever you can come up with in your head will be better', it actually managed to answer a number of core questions in interesting ways that didn't deflate the tension. It was also a lot less emotionally detached than the first two books in the trilogy. Authority was a tough read but it's kinda cool because it's about a fan of Annihilation trying to figure out what happened and getting really frustrated.
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Mar 5, 2015 16:27
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Speaking of VanderMeer - can anyone suggest any other books about spooky places full of mystery and weird poo poo that the protagonists explore? House of Leaves, Blindsight, STALKER and the Southern Reach books are all the kind of thing I'm talking about here.
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Mar 5, 2015 16:41
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Ship of Fools/Unto Leviathan by Richard Paul Russo isn't as good as any of those but it's a fix and it has some great 'oh poo poo!' moments.
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Mar 5, 2015 16:54
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Nemesis Of Moles posted:Speaking of VanderMeer - can anyone suggest any other books about spooky places full of mystery and weird poo poo that the protagonists explore? House of Leaves, Blindsight, STALKER and the Southern Reach books are all the kind of thing I'm talking about here. Alastair Reynolds' novella Diamond Dogs.
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Mar 5, 2015 17:03
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http://www.tor.com/blogs/2015/03/bff-the-thorn-of-emberlain-at-last
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Mar 5, 2015 17:17
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General Battuta posted:Ship of Fools/Unto Leviathan by Richard Paul Russo isn't as good as any of those but it's a fix and it has some great 'oh poo poo!' moments. That was I think the only book I've read entirely in one sitting that wasn't like a kid's book. It's very engrossing.
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Mar 5, 2015 17:18
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General Battuta posted:Acceptance was cool because it didn't go for 'whatever you can come up with in your head will be better', it actually managed to answer a number of core questions in interesting ways that didn't deflate the tension. It was also a lot less emotionally detached than the first two books in the trilogy. Well! Now I guess I have to read Acceptance, seeing as it addresses my complaints. Pshh, I was going to read it anyway eventually.
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Mar 5, 2015 17:22
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You don't have to read it! Don't expect it all to lay out all the answers like a Wookiepedia article, but it gives solid evidence on the origin and layout of Area X, the events surrounding its creation, the behind-the-scenes shenanigans at Southern Reach and Central, and the events of the expedition in Annihilation. And that evidence comes in a way that's often pretty human and moving. You don't get any more Authority-style 'he watched the creepy videotape full of interesting things I won't describe to you. He was horrified. He left.' Acceptance ending spoiler Did anyone have a sense of the ultimate fate of Control?
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Mar 5, 2015 17:32
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General Battuta posted:I thought they were all loving amazing, with Authority being kind of a slog but ultimately worth it and Acceptance absolutely nailing the finish in a way Lost and other genre mystery stories haven't. Precisely this. Also, you do yourself a misjustice not to read the whole trilogy. It's not even that long.
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Mar 5, 2015 18:23
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