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ravenkult posted:Are there any decent fantasy or sci fi books about castaways and such? Dudes abandoned on desert islands/planets and stuff like that. The *shudder* John Ringo/David Weber co-authored "Empire of Man" series starts of with an advanced military unit cut off from all support on a hostile planet ala "The Anabasis". Stop reading when it stops being about that and you'll be happier than me.
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Mar 29, 2015 00:26
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navyjack posted:The *shudder* John Ringo/David Weber co-authored "Empire of Man" series starts of with an advanced military unit cut off from all support on a hostile planet ala "The Anabasis". Stop reading when it stops being about that and you'll be happier than me. I'll second the recommendation of reading the series, and heartily second the recommendation to not read anything after they get off planet.
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Mar 29, 2015 01:36
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Patrick Spens posted:I'll second the recommendation of reading the series, and heartily second the recommendation to not read anything after they get off planet. Thirded on both.
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Mar 29, 2015 02:31
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occamsnailfile posted:The address-changy thing isn't working for me, I am less smart than a Kindle. I'll just recall it from the library and wait two weeks. Relatedly, the library has a 1987 translation of Solaris. Is that a decent rendition?
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Mar 29, 2015 23:24
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I recently finished the audiobook of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I enjoyed it. Does the series keep the quality up as it goes along? Anything I should know if I want to keep going?
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Mar 30, 2015 00:00
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BigRed0427 posted:I recently finished the audiobook of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I enjoyed it. Does the series keep the quality up as it goes along? Anything I should know if I want to keep going? Stick with just Hitchhiker's and Restaurant. Maybe "Life"...but the series goes downhill "Life" onwards. I stand by this. 
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Mar 30, 2015 00:24
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ravenkult posted:Are there any decent fantasy or sci fi books about castaways and such? Dudes abandoned on desert islands/planets and stuff like that. try silverberg's Majipoor Chronicles maybe
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Mar 30, 2015 00:51
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DACK FAYDEN posted:Fairly certain it's not - until four years ago the only one available was that translation, which was Polish -> French -> English - and the only text of the good translation is the 2011 (or later?) ebook edition, according to Wikipedia. I didn't know it had actually come out in non-audiobook format, so I learned something today! I didn't realize that there was a better translation of Solaris in English now. I need to re-read it.
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Mar 30, 2015 02:30
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I liked Life the Universe and Everything, but I didn't really enjoy So Long and Thanks for All the Fish. Guide and Restaurant are definitely the best books though.
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Mar 30, 2015 02:33
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After all the recommendations seen in this thread, I've finally gone for The Three Body Problem, and I'm about 1/3 thru it. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. It has definitely a clarke-ish smell. And to this point I'm resorting heavily on Clarke's law to keep my suspension of disbelief afloat. BTW the translator notes are priceless for me, as an almost completely ignorant about Chinese culture.
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Mar 30, 2015 09:49
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I've almost finished the second Gentleman Bastard's book and I gotta say... What the hell happened? The first one was great. A bit odd with the pacing at times but this second one feels like a total bait and switch. You have this cool opening swindling a casino and the same style of story telling with multiple points in the Bastards' lives interspersed and then suddenly you're on a boat for two thirds of the book and the storytelling style changes to a completely linear one. What? It's like Lynch was writing his book and at some point saw Cutthroat Island and decided he wanted to write a book about pirates. Balls. Oh well hopefully Thorn of Emberlain will turn out to be a bit better.
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Mar 30, 2015 10:52
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The third one is even worse.
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Mar 30, 2015 11:05
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He got really depressed.
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Mar 30, 2015 14:53
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Yeah I think I'm just gonna pretend that Lies was a one-off. It stands alone pretty well anyway. I guess that's the downside of really nailing the first book in a series.
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Mar 30, 2015 15:33
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General Emergency posted:I've almost finished the second Gentleman Bastard's book and I gotta say... What the hell happened? The first one was great. A bit odd with the pacing at times but this second one feels like a total bait and switch. Some people say they're flawed but still enjoyable but I thought it was all downhill after the first book. Thorn was even worse than Red Seas in some ways. The pacing problems from the second book carry over and actually get worse, the tonal shifts are jarring unlike the first book, insipid love story between characters, the climax was ridiculous and introducing an antagonist at the end of the third book was just weird.
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Mar 30, 2015 15:59
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Kalenn Istarion posted:Anyone read anything by Mindee Arnett? I saw a couple of her books at the local bookstore and wondering if they're worth the read. Might have been lost on the last page. Anyone read anything by this author?
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Mar 30, 2015 17:44
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Kalenn Istarion posted:Might have been lost on the last page. Anyone read anything by this author? Goodreads Summary posted:Avalon is the perfect fit for teens new to sci-fi as well as seasoned sci-fi readers looking for more books in the YA space-and a great match for fans of Joss Whedon's cult hit show Firefly.  I read the amazon sample pages, there's like a novella's worth, and it feels like it's very light and simple reading, but competently written. It's very noticeably, and stereotypically, a YA book. A lot of here's how this character looks and teen dramaedy. I'd say if you like the YA scene, you'll do well to read this. If not actively involved in that (or the mary sue urban fantasy) scene, it's probably going to not be worth much to you as an experience aside from maybe the setting. edit: You want to read a good book that's as fun and fast and a little more complicated without all that YA kludge, read Up Against It by M.J. Locke - it's billed as somewhat hard SF, but...I don't know (maybe it kinda is?). I just really enjoyed it. Drifter fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Mar 30, 2015 |
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Mar 30, 2015 19:35
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So I was pointed at http://catherineldf.livejournal.com/266326.html today. It's a list of SFF with women characters over 40, including works with multiple POV. Some of them I've read, some I've never heard of. I have A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark to read and it's on that list, and it's one I'm looking forward to. Some of the entries include works with youth restoration or immortality, like Old Man's War which doesn't disqualify them I think, but places aging in a different view than works without those options. The list was made of course because of the invisibility of older women not just in genre but media and even society as a whole. The wider debate around that is bigger than this thread, but I was pleased at least to have this list.
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Mar 30, 2015 19:58
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Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove.
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Mar 30, 2015 20:19
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occamsnailfile posted:So I was pointed at http://catherineldf.livejournal.com/266326.html today. It's a list of SFF with women characters over 40, including works with multiple POV. Some of them I've read, some I've never heard of. I have A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark to read and it's on that list, and it's one I'm looking forward to. Some of the entries include works with youth restoration or immortality, like Old Man's War which doesn't disqualify them I think, but places aging in a different view than works without those options. The list was made of course because of the invisibility of older women not just in genre but media and even society as a whole. The wider debate around that is bigger than this thread, but I was pleased at least to have this list. AKAEAUR is... not good, alas.
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Mar 30, 2015 20:26
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove.
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Mar 30, 2015 20:33
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove. The Thousand Names is good, the sequel is alright. The few chapters of Promise of Blood that I've read were kinda leaden in Sanderson-at-his-most-clunky way, but some people like it.
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Mar 30, 2015 20:39
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Megazver posted:AKAEAUR is... not good, alas. (That said, I'm ultimately posting to back you up and not disagree.)
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Mar 30, 2015 20:46
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove. I'm not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but Brian McClellan's Powder Mage trilogy involves a lot of gunpowder, just had the third volume come out, and is a pretty good read from start to finish.
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Mar 30, 2015 20:47
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Aaaand... I'm done with the Three Body Problem. Just two things: 1. Absolutely get and read this book. 2. I hate and despise cliffhangers. Seriously. Get the book. It is loving good.
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Mar 30, 2015 21:12
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove. Alloy of Law.
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Mar 30, 2015 21:49
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove.
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Mar 30, 2015 22:03
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Megazver posted:The Thousand Names is good This book is hundreds of pages of white colonialists regularly outwitting and blowing up indigenous non-white strongly-religious people wholesale.
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Mar 30, 2015 22:15
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove. Brent Weeks' Lightbringer series? I really liked his Shadow of the Apt series, so maybe Adrian T's Guns of the Dawn? it's Napoleonic more than flintlock fantasy, though. It's on my to read list, so I can't vouch for its quality. Also maybe Winds of Khalakova?
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Mar 30, 2015 22:18
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Azathoth posted:The Temeraire series is the only one that comes to mind, and it has an interesting world, if you can deal with the paper-thin characters. I stopped after a couple books, but I don't regret reading as far as I did. Jane's pretty cool though, for a character who exists as somebody who is having far more interesting adventures than the main guy. You get the sense that she's kind of slumming it as a love interest.
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Mar 30, 2015 22:48
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Arcsquad12 posted:Are there any decent Gunpowder Era fantasy novels out there? And don't say Harry Turtledove. * Melissa Scott&Lisa Barnett's "Point" series * Also I guess their 'Armor of Light', it's set in the early 17th century * Martha Well's "Element of Fire"
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Mar 30, 2015 23:00
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fritz posted:* Melissa Scott&Lisa Barnett's "Point" series Kate Elliot's 'Cold Magic' and sequels Teresa Edgerton's 'The Queen's Necklace'
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Mar 30, 2015 23:02
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occamsnailfile posted:So I was pointed at http://catherineldf.livejournal.com/266326.html today. It's a list of SFF with women characters over 40, including works with multiple POV. Some of them I've read, some I've never heard of. I have A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark to read and it's on that list, and it's one I'm looking forward to. Some of the entries include works with youth restoration or immortality, like Old Man's War which doesn't disqualify them I think, but places aging in a different view than works without those options. The list was made of course because of the invisibility of older women not just in genre but media and even society as a whole. The wider debate around that is bigger than this thread, but I was pleased at least to have this list. Mars Trilogy fo' sho'. I love Maya.
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Mar 30, 2015 23:24
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occamsnailfile posted:So I was pointed at http://catherineldf.livejournal.com/266326.html today. It's a list of SFF with women characters over 40, including works with multiple POV. Some of them I've read, some I've never heard of. I have A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark to read and it's on that list, and it's one I'm looking forward to. Some of the entries include works with youth restoration or immortality, like Old Man's War which doesn't disqualify them I think, but places aging in a different view than works without those options. The list was made of course because of the invisibility of older women not just in genre but media and even society as a whole. The wider debate around that is bigger than this thread, but I was pleased at least to have this list. The list needs The Scar by China Miéville. Bellis is over 40, I'm pretty sure.
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Mar 30, 2015 23:25
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I read and enjoyed some of Holly Lisle's stuff 20 years ago but she seems to have gotten a serious case of the libertarians: http://file770.com/?p=21536 http://file770.com/?p=21600
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Mar 30, 2015 23:28
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The Temeraire series and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy are two alt-history settings I would love to see given a fuller and more mature treatment. Otherwise they kind of feel like they're falling short of the potential of their concepts and all of the work that goes into setting exposition gets wasted on a travelogue. Consequently I think one of my favorites of the Temeraire series is the 5th (Victory of Eagles) which stays more closely tied to Britain and the war rather than the standard fare of hopping around the globe.
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Mar 30, 2015 23:29
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fritz posted:This book is hundreds of pages of white colonialists regularly outwitting and blowing up indigenous non-white strongly-religious people wholesale. History book, eh?
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Mar 30, 2015 23:51
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fritz posted:Kate Elliot's 'Cold Magic' and sequels I liked most of the first one, but the romance plot towards the end and in all of the second killed my desire to read any farther. 
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Mar 30, 2015 23:55
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Amberskin posted:Aaaand... I'm done with the Three Body Problem. The beginning of the book helped me understand what super angry leftist internet posters are going for
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Mar 30, 2015 23:58
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fritz posted:This book is hundreds of pages of white colonialists regularly outwitting and blowing up indigenous non-white strongly-religious people wholesale. Oh no.
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Mar 30, 2015 23:59
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