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e X posted:adorably goony Commander who thinks that a 6 days survival trip is totally enough grounds for marriage to a serial rapist who threatens his prisoners with his servants giant dick? I don't remember that part from the book? Have you perhaps mixed up Vorrutyer and Vorkosigan?
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May 23, 2015 08:12
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I went back to read Shards of Honor after reading The Warriors Apprentice and a few non-Vorkosigan Bujold novels and the thematic and tonal difference was jarring to me too. But yeah, you are definitely mixing up the villain of the novel with the protagonist's love interest.
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May 23, 2015 08:36
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No, I do realize that Aral and Vorrutyer are different people. Maybe the wording is off, but I meant to contrast the two parts of the novel.
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May 23, 2015 09:10
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Ah, so it's not "marriage to a serial rapist", it's "from A to B".
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May 23, 2015 10:28
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I started reading the Bio of a Space Tyrant books recently (am about half done with Mercenary at the moment) and I kind of feel like they qualify as space opera. The writing style and political mapping is in a very archaic style that makes it read very differently from more modern sci-fi. There's some gender issue... issues with it (casual misogyny, men are stronger than women, a woman's place is with her man, that sort of thing) that I can't quite tell whether it's the author himself or just the world he's building. The first book (Refugee) was really bad with the pirates and raping and cannibalism, the second book has been better about that sort of thing so far though...
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May 25, 2015 22:25
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WarLocke posted:I started reading the Bio of a Space Tyrant books recently (am about half done with Mercenary at the moment) and I kind of feel like they qualify as space opera. The writing style and political mapping is in a very archaic style that makes it read very differently from more modern sci-fi. Good ol' Piers.
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May 25, 2015 23:01
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Drifter posted:Good ol' Piers. Piers Anthony never changes.
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May 25, 2015 23:10
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Stop before the pedophilia.
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May 26, 2015 00:25
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Washout posted:Stop before the pedophilia. This means "Stop."
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May 26, 2015 00:53
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I really appreciated that series, but get ready for lengthy infodumps on flat taxation systems, as well as your standard Piers dozens-of-pages argument in favour of reducing age of consent to twelve, and incest. Also WOOOooo000, MAGIC REALISM at the end of the series.
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May 26, 2015 01:26
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Things I am amazed Piers Anthony is still allowed to be near: 1. Children 2. The written word 3. Cici's all you can eat pizza buffet (he knows why)
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May 26, 2015 01:41
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Isolationist posted:I really appreciated that series, but get ready for lengthy infodumps on flat taxation systems, as well as your standard Piers dozens-of-pages argument in favour of reducing age of consent to twelve, and incest. That, uhh, seems like a fairly giant 'but' to get past. "I mean, yeah, a fair chunk of it was a giant screed on how paedophilia is cool and good, but apart from that, it was pretty great!"
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May 26, 2015 01:58
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Darth Walrus posted:"I mean, yeah, a fair chunk of it was a giant screed on how paedophilia is cool and good, but apart from that, it was pretty great!" But enough about the internet, ho ho ho
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May 26, 2015 02:08
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Khizan posted:This means "Stop." Not according to Piers it doesn't
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May 26, 2015 02:53
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I'm slightly disappointed that Gordon Dickson's Dragon knight series hasn't had the wizards go out into space yet.
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May 26, 2015 05:50
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e X posted:No, I do realize that Aral and Vorrutyer are different people. Maybe the wording is off, but I meant to contrast the two parts of the novel. The whole series is fairly light-hearted I think, but Bujold does like to do these turns sometimes. I don't mind since it adds a little "realism", but there is a particular part way later that I thought was fairly uncomfortable. That being said, the Vorkosigan Saga is by far my favorite sci-fi series, so if you like the first one, you have lots of books to look forward to.
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May 26, 2015 13:15
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According to io9, John Scalzi just signed a 13-book, 10-year deal with Tor, including more Old Man's War and a new, separate space opera series. http://io9.com/john-scalzi-signs-a-massive-10-year-13-book-publishing-1706919623
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May 26, 2015 22:49
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Passage at Arms: Great quick read. And there are a few subplots that I feel might resolve on a close re read. It's sort of amazing that Cook wrote this and The Dragon Never Sleeps so close together, as they're basically on opposite ends of the space opera spectrum, and yet both rule. Maybe he did it on purpose, as an exercise.
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May 27, 2015 00:57
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WarLocke posted:I started reading the Bio of a Space Tyrant books recently (am about half done with Mercenary at the moment) and I kind of feel like they qualify as space opera. The writing style and political mapping is in a very archaic style that makes it read very differently from more modern sci-fi. God drat, Piers Anthony. re there any low-hanging jokes that you won't reach for?
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May 27, 2015 01:10
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coyo7e posted:Holy gently caress, the protagonist's name is "Hope Hubris"? He prefers the low hanging kind because that's the only type kids can reach.
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May 27, 2015 02:18
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coyo7e posted:Holy gently caress, the protagonist's name is "Hope Hubris"? Is it any worse than Neal Stephenson's epic main character in Snow Crash: Hiro Protagonist?
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May 27, 2015 02:50
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XBenedict posted:Is it any worse than Neal Stephenson's epic main character in Snow Crash: Hiro Protagonist?
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May 27, 2015 03:11
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XBenedict posted:Is it any worse than Neal Stephenson's epic main character in Snow Crash: Hiro Protagonist? "Hope Hubris" is like, well, why bother reading? You know what's bound to happen.
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May 27, 2015 03:52
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coyo7e posted:"Hope Hubris" is like, well, why bother reading? You know what's bound to happen. I... I actually don't get the joke.
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May 27, 2015 04:06
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Kesper North posted:I... I actually don't get the joke. Hubris - reaching past one's abilities and reaping the consequences.
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May 27, 2015 04:15
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The funny thing about "Snow Crash" is that I read it entirely straight, because I didn't know it was supposed to be a parody. Then I read "Hardwired" and I'm like, oh, this is what Snow Crash was making fun of.
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May 27, 2015 07:41
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I'm about half way through Iain M. Banks' "Consider Phlebas" and I have to admit it's pretty slow going. It seems like it's simply a series of action packed set pieces with very little meaningful character to character interaction or introspection. I am, however, really enjoying the world building and so far seems to be the best part. I've read here that the following books in "The Culture" are better so I'll keep pushing through it. Is there better characterization in the following books?
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May 27, 2015 09:28
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disregard_last posted:I'm about half way through Iain M. Banks' "Consider Phlebas" and I have to admit it's pretty slow going. It seems like it's simply a series of action packed set pieces with very little meaningful character to character interaction or introspection. Yes, absolutely. It's generally said that Player of Games might be a good one to read next, and many even suggest to save Consider Phlebas until a bit later, when you've gotten to know the Culture. Believe me, you're in for one hell of a ride with Banks.
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May 27, 2015 09:35
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Taeke posted:Yes, absolutely. It's generally said that Player of Games might be a good one to read next, and many even suggest to save Consider Phlebas until a bit later, when you've gotten to know the Culture. That's a relief. I'll read "Player of Games" after wrapping up this one.
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May 27, 2015 09:39
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I feel weird because I really liked Consider Phlebas and I don't think Ian Banks ever managed to capture the feel of the non-culture interstellar community other than really backwards worlds or the alien's who were on an equal footing with the culture but smaller for "reasons".
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May 27, 2015 10:16
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disregard_last posted:That's a relief. I'll read "Player of Games" after wrapping up this one. Be careful though, if you're not ready to put yourself into the mindset that most of later Culture Novels are giant shaggy dog stories then you might be disappointed.
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May 27, 2015 12:39
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coyo7e posted:Hope - to believe in and (hopefully) strive toward a goal that may seem unreachable. So it really is just what it looks like on the surface? Man... so lame.
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May 27, 2015 13:22
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Kesper North posted:So it really is just what it looks like on the surface? Man... so lame. That's Piers Anthony for you.
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May 27, 2015 14:22
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Taeke posted:Yes, absolutely. It's generally said that Player of Games might be a good one to read next, and many even suggest to save Consider Phlebas until a bit later, when you've gotten to know the Culture. I'd say Use of Weapons is a good one to follow Consider Phlebas with as well (that's what I did). Sure, it's a bit difficult at first to read, but once you get how the timelines in the story work everything starts to click and god drat does it end amazingly.
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May 27, 2015 16:26
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Miss-Bomarc posted:The funny thing about "Snow Crash" is that I read it entirely straight, because I didn't know it was supposed to be a parody. Then I read "Hardwired" and I'm like, oh, this is what Snow Crash was making fun of. Groke posted:That's Piers Anthony for you. Maybe it's that Pratchett's actually funny? coyo7e fucked around with this message at 22:09 on May 27, 2015 |
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May 27, 2015 22:06
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BadOptics posted:I'd say Use of Weapons is a good one to follow Consider Phlebas with as well (that's what I did). Sure, it's a bit difficult at first to read, but once you get how the timelines in the story work everything starts to click and god drat does it end amazingly. I did the same thing, but I definitely enjoyed Use of Weapons (and Consider Phlebas for that matter) more on a reread after I had gotten to know the Culture better.
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May 27, 2015 23:27
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I love when lovely sci fi authors go on teary rants about how when they advocate for monarchy/pedophilia/objectivism/white supremacy in repeated books, it doesn't mean they actually believe in such things.
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May 28, 2015 02:19
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Spazzle posted:I love when lovely sci fi authors go on teary rants about how when they advocate for monarchy/pedophilia/objectivism/white supremacy in repeated books, it doesn't mean they actually believe in such things. All I'm saying is I'd rather be a white wizard than a black sorcerer, you know?
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May 28, 2015 02:36
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BadOptics posted:I'd say Use of Weapons is a good one to follow Consider Phlebas with as well (that's what I did). Sure, it's a bit difficult at first to read, but once you get how the timelines in the story work everything starts to click and god drat does it end amazingly. Excession is probably the closest to a conventional space opera. It's got weird alien macguffins and space battles and everything!
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May 28, 2015 06:49
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coyo7e posted:That entire book was written to almost be a parody, long before goony tropes were actually tropes. For all that I'm not a huge an of Stephenson anymore, he really nailed it with that book when it was written. My favorite description of Snow Crash came from a poster in the Neal Stephenson thread. "A parody of dumb nerd poo poo, while also being the dumbest of nerd poo poo."
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May 28, 2015 07:29
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