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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Dammit. Terry Pratchett died
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Mar 12, 2015 19:15
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Dammit. Terry Pratchett died
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Mar 12, 2015 20:50
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Dammit. Terry Pratchett died drat. I was having a bad enough day already. The man has brightened my world since whenever it was that a buddy loaned me a freshly-published hardcover book called Wyrd Sisters. Some time in the late 1980s, anyway.
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Mar 12, 2015 21:47
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Hopefully it really is turtles all the way down.
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Mar 13, 2015 01:06
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you have come to a world called gor
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Mar 13, 2015 05:22
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If Pratchett died and woke up in gor I'm not really sure what would happen...but it would be violent.
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Mar 13, 2015 07:06
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Interesting article that a friend linked. Her mother has PCA (the particularly lovely variant of Alzheimer's that Terry had). The article is Neil Gaiman discussing Terry Pratchett's personality and perspectives in 2014 after he had announced he was too sick to go to the discworld convention. Article has links to a couple other interesting reads about Terry as well. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaiman
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Mar 13, 2015 20:01
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Dammit. Terry Pratchett died Only just caught up with this, too many good people dying recently.
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Mar 14, 2015 22:29
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I guess it's kind of moot to recommend the Dune saga to anyone (since just about everyone knows about it), but I have to say I've been completely blown away by it. I always had this preconception about the series being very hard or taxing to read, but that hasn't been the case at all. The first original six books have been very enjoyable, and the next one in series (the first one written by the authors son) seems to be holding up as well. So do yourselves a favor and read some Dune. 
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Mar 14, 2015 22:44
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Olzi posted:So do yourselves a favor and read some Dune. Do yourself a favor; don't read the KJA/BH dreck. If you really liked the actual Dune books, prepare to be grossly disappointed. They're moneygrab- 
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Mar 15, 2015 01:07
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The secret to reading Dune is read in the order they were written, and to stop as soon as you finish a book that you don't like that much. They only get worse from there.
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Mar 15, 2015 01:16
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occamsnailfile posted:So my sister posed a book request to me, which was "Fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist, and a best friend who is also female." I am stumped, can't think of any off the top of my head--strong female leads are more common than in the past, but female lead without a sassy talking animal/dude friend is harder for me to tabulate. Going through my own reading lists for the past couple years doesn't produce much. Maguire's Egg and Spoon is really good, and has two female protagonists whose friendship develops nicely throughout the book. His Oz series has strong female characters too, but no so much as friends except for a stint between Elphaba and Galinda while they're at school together.
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Mar 15, 2015 01:29
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What are some great first contact books? also rip terry. I loved The Color of Magic.
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Mar 15, 2015 02:32
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Vorik posted:What are some great first contact books? Dragon's Egg by Robert Forward is a really cool and quirky one. e: beware, it's very geeky Koesj fucked around with this message at 03:01 on Mar 15, 2015 |
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Mar 15, 2015 02:42
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Vorik posted:What are some great first contact books? Blindsight, obviously, and His Masters Voice are good ones.
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Mar 15, 2015 02:45
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Blindsight. A lot of Lem including His Master's Voice, Invincible, and Solaris. Footfall by Niven and Pournelle 
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Mar 15, 2015 03:22
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Hey now, Larry and Jerry's reptilian legacy means they do pretty neat Aliens. On that note, A Mote in Gods Eye is actually decent. The Road Not Taken is hilarious (and an ultra quick read to boot!), Maria Doria Russell's The Sparrow is pretty harrowing, C.J. Cherryh has some interesting takes (very fantasy and golden age space opera-inspired though), A Deepness in the Sky is IMO a fantastic book and in multiple ways a first contact story, A Darkling Sea is a nice relative newcomer to the subgenre, and maybe Haldeman's Camouflage as a reverse first contact scenario? Yes I was partly going off of tvtropes' page  e: VVV a friend of mine recently read Contact and we pretty much agreed that it's not that smoothly written  (Glass houses etc. since I recommended Dragon's Egg in my previous post) Koesj fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Mar 15, 2015 |
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Mar 15, 2015 03:38
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Vorik posted:What are some great first contact books? Blindsight Echopraxia & Contact (tie) A Deepness in the Sky Mote in God's Eye
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Mar 15, 2015 03:59
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withak posted:The secret to reading Dune is read in the order they were written, and to stop as soon as you finish a book that you don't like that much. They only get worse from there. quote:Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife — chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: "Now it’s complete because it’s ended here."
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Mar 15, 2015 04:27
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darthbob88 posted:I point this out whenever people mention Dune and which books to read, but if you're going to read Dune, you should take a lesson from the first book. And this one too, regarding the quality of the non Frank Herbert ones: quote:Hope clouds observation.
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Mar 15, 2015 04:53
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Goddam Frank Herbert was a genius.
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Mar 15, 2015 05:14
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withak posted:The secret to reading Dune is read in the order they were written, and to stop as soon as you finish a book that you don't like that much. They only get worse from there. This goes hand in hand with the quote posted quote:Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife — chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: "Now it’s complete because it’s ended here."
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Mar 15, 2015 21:05
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A mote in god's eye really didn't age well in my opinion
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Mar 16, 2015 12:25
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Koesj posted:C.J. Cherryh Hey, maybe this thread can help me... She wrote a novel that I started to read years ago and want to find again. All I remember about it is that it featured a warrior woman, who was of an alien or elfish race, and her human squire/manservant of a lower caste. The paperback cover had this woman on it, very pale with white hair dressed in a suit of armor, looking imperious, and the man was standing next to her, also in a suit of armor, with shaggy brown hair and kind of a humble look on his face. Does this terrible information ring any bells??
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Mar 16, 2015 14:29
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Rabbit Hill posted:Hey, maybe this thread can help me... She wrote a novel that I started to read years ago and want to find again. All I remember about it is that it featured a warrior woman, who was of an alien or elfish race, and her human squire/manservant of a lower caste. The paperback cover had this woman on it, very pale with white hair dressed in a suit of armor, looking imperious, and the man was standing next to her, also in a suit of armor, with shaggy brown hair and kind of a humble look on his face. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exile%27s_Gate
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Mar 16, 2015 14:32
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Rabbit Hill posted:Hey, maybe this thread can help me... She wrote a novel that I started to read years ago and want to find again. All I remember about it is that it featured a warrior woman, who was of an alien or elfish race, and her human squire/manservant of a lower caste. The paperback cover had this woman on it, very pale with white hair dressed in a suit of armor, looking imperious, and the man was standing next to her, also in a suit of armor, with shaggy brown hair and kind of a humble look on his face. The Chronicles of Morgaine series by C. J. Cherryh - Exile's Gate is the last instalment. I think you're thinking of The Well of Shiaun (?spelling) but I'm not sure it's the first one. Don't forget to post in the Cherryh thread when you've read it!
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Mar 16, 2015 15:56
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Yes, that's it! Thanks!
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Mar 16, 2015 17:33
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angel opportunity posted:A mote in god's eye really didn't age well in my opinion In what way? Stylistically maybe? IIRC the big human interstellar empire is a post-collapse one so anything having to do with tech is up for grabs.
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Mar 17, 2015 00:25
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Is Gaiman's new short story collection any good? I haven't read a novel from him that I've loved since, uh, Good Omens? But his short stories have generally been really good with a lot of fun ideas. What's the verdict?
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Mar 17, 2015 00:32
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Koesj posted:In what way? Stylistically maybe? I'd guess it's more the uncritical acceptance of ~*exponential growth*~ and all its somewhat silly appearances in the book - the forever exploding population, the impossibly fast technology bootstrapping, the idea of inevitable resource competition in a universe where there's FTL. I can see how in the 70s it would have been mind blowing and very topical, with the environmental movement having just begun, Limits to Growth being published, etc. Now you just scratch your head at the idea of FTL without discovering any sort of genetic engineering. Oh and of course because it's Niven there's some strange and off-putting social stuff going on as well - the population booms never being controlled because "the savage ones refuse the advice of their betters, and out-breed the rule followers!"  And the dumb caste = subspecies thing, it's an ok idea but to literally have a sub-race of engineers and another of diplomats is sorta childish.
Prolonged Panorama fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Mar 17, 2015 |
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Mar 17, 2015 02:18
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I went ahead and read 3-Body Problem. Wow, that was amazing. No regrets but drat I need the next two books ASAP.
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Mar 17, 2015 02:25
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UK goons: The Vagrant by Peter Newman has shown up on my radar and I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about it or read an ARC.
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Mar 17, 2015 02:40
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Prolonged Priapism posted:I'd guess it's more the uncritical acceptance of ~*exponential growth*~ and all its somewhat silly appearances in the book - the forever exploding population, the impossibly fast technology bootstrapping, the idea of inevitable resource competition in a universe where there's FTL. I don't think anything by Niven has aged well. Basically if you are capable of any nuance beyond that of the average 14 year old boy niven's stuff will have lost its charm.
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Mar 17, 2015 13:31
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Happiness Commando posted:I'm a little late to this party, but if she's willing to read some YA books, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede hits many of your points and is absolutely fantastic. A good fun quick read. Wiki
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Mar 17, 2015 15:44
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A Proper Uppercut posted:You definitely should. It's about the journey, not the destination dude. One of the few series that got me a little weepy eyed.
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Mar 17, 2015 15:49
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Just finished The Quantum Thief. Man, that was good. I didn't want it to end. Does The Fractal Prince just pick up where TQT left off? I had to stop reading the Hannu thread at page 3 to avoid TFP spoilers.
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Mar 17, 2015 16:00
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It's hard to explain, it does but sort of not. There's a new character and setting they focus on a lot and it's not immediately clear where that links up with the Jean/Mieli plot. Then it does and poo poo happens and then book 3. Not really sci-fi/fantasy but at the same time it would definitely appeal to people who like good books, John Darnielle of the band The Mountain Goats wrote a book called "Wolf in White Van". I bought it based on liking his music and the gorgeous cover that was posted in that thread about book covers and it's really really good. Harold Fjord fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Mar 17, 2015 |
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Mar 17, 2015 16:21
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Nevvy Z posted:It's hard to explain, it does but sort of not. There's a new character and setting they focus on a lot and it's not immediately clear where that links up with the Jean/Mieli plot. Then it does and poo poo happens and then book 3. Yeah, between the game-running framing device, references to sf&f lit, tv, etc., and the POV's reflections about growing up alienated and nerdy, people itt should like it.
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Mar 17, 2015 16:57
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I am getting iffy on The Dark Defiles by Richard K Morgan. The first two books were pretty impressive and I could barely put them down but this one is just strange. The pacing is all over the place and its getting very distracting. This is the end of the trilogy I assume but it's filled with what feels like first book background and setup. Morgan did a lot of tell, don't show with many background aspects of the first books but seems to be reversing himself now. The story started out very non-traditional and tended to avoid most of the usual fantasy tropes and plot devices, now it feels like its heading for predictable territory which is disappointing. I don't know, I am getting frustrated with this and its a shame because I thought the first two books were excellent. Oh well less than 200 pages to go.
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Mar 17, 2015 16:59
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ZerodotJander posted:I went ahead and read 3-Body Problem. Wow, that was amazing. No regrets but drat I need the next two books ASAP. Does anyone know the legality of doing "fan translations" of books?
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Mar 17, 2015 17:05
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