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Peel posted:Gonna go ahead and guess there's a reason it hasn't been published before. Probably something to do with the "previously unknown work" bit.
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Aug 16, 2015 02:02
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Neurosis posted:what
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Aug 16, 2015 05:56
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coyo7e posted:well there was that opening scene with a six shooter and then I just kinda assumed everything else was farting steam and That's fog, not steam.
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Aug 16, 2015 06:11
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holocaust bloopers posted:The third book in the Three-Body Problem series comes out in December, I believe. Pretty sure it's April 2016, actually. At least here in America, anyways.
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Aug 16, 2015 07:32
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I recently finished Lev Grossman's Magician's trilogy, and... I didn't hate them, but didn't really like them. Overall I just felt like I was waiting for something, some change in the characters, some shift in the story, and the third book ended with that same feeling. Like, I kept reading because I had this urge to get to a tipping point in the story where interest would change to proper enjoyment. I think the issue is I never got what the books were actually saying, never saw the message. Does anybody know where I can find some decent critique/analysis of the books, or explain to me what they really I guess meant? I feel like an idiot because I couldn't for the life of me "get" the books. Also, Robert Olen Butler's Hell is a crap book. The satire is paper-thin and is already really dated, and the ending was just... disappointing.
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Aug 16, 2015 08:19
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They're just really bad books.
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Aug 16, 2015 08:21
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Finally got around to reading Three Body Problem. Really really good. My only real problem is that my inner 12 year old can't stop giggling every time it reads the name "Dong Dong".
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Aug 16, 2015 08:37
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Wapole Languray posted:I recently finished Lev Grossman's Magician's trilogy, and... I didn't hate them, but didn't really like them. Overall I just felt like I was waiting for something, some change in the characters, some shift in the story, and the third book ended with that same feeling. Like, I kept reading because I had this urge to get to a tipping point in the story where interest would change to proper enjoyment. I think the issue is I never got what the books were actually saying, never saw the message. To be contrary to the other guy who replied to you, they're some of my favourite fantasy books ever. As for analysis, well I don't know, I honestly just love the world building and the riff on Narnia. Also, they're pretty clearly a portrayal of depression. That speaks to me.
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Aug 16, 2015 08:45
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Hedrigall posted:To be contrary to the other guy who replied to you, they're some of my favourite fantasy books ever. Speaking as a person with profound clinical depression, they didn't speak to me at all, and I similarly didn't feel the books kick in for me on any level. I did come away with a strong desire to punch the main character right in the mouth, though. I guess I'm just not hip enough.
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Aug 16, 2015 08:53
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I am also a sadbrain goon who has suffered from depression/dysthymia and I got nothing like that out of it, either. Never mind punching the main character, they were ALL loving irritating, even after they'd gone through their character arcs. Neurosis fucked around with this message at 08:59 on Aug 16, 2015 |
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Aug 16, 2015 08:57
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I am an rear end in a top hat and yep, the books are about assholes. Doesn't make them any more enjoyable, though.
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Aug 16, 2015 08:59
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The Library at Mount Char is real good. If you've ever wanted to read a book about posthuman Elder Gods dropping the hammer and going to war over the universe while tiny humans scramble around underfoot, this is for you. It's rough around the edges (mostly pacing wise) but the sense of escalation is awesome.
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Aug 16, 2015 08:59
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General Battuta posted:The Library at Mount Char is real good. If you've ever wanted to read a book about posthuman Elder Gods dropping the hammer and going to war over the universe while tiny humans scramble around underfoot, this is for you. It's rough around the edges (mostly pacing wise) but the sense of escalation is awesome. It was a fantastic book, and the story kept twisting in unexpected directions.. and that ending. (do agree about the pacing)
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Aug 16, 2015 09:27
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Khizan posted:Finally got around to reading Three Body Problem. Really really good. My only real problem is that my inner 12 year old can't stop giggling every time it reads the name "Dong Dong". I have the same problem when people talk about Uranus.
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Aug 16, 2015 12:46
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I'm sorry Furism, but astronomers renamed Uranus to end that stupid joke once and for all.
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Aug 16, 2015 13:27
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Inspector Gesicht posted:I'm sorry Furism, but astronomers renamed Uranus to end that stupid joke once and for all. They decided to call it Yora so that saying things like "Yora's orbiting the sun in 84 years" doesn't sound that bad anymore.
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Aug 16, 2015 13:53
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General Battuta posted:The Library at Mount Char is real good. If you've ever wanted to read a book about posthuman Elder Gods dropping the hammer and going to war over the universe while tiny humans scramble around underfoot, this is for you. It's rough around the edges (mostly pacing wise) but the sense of escalation is awesome. It was unlike anything I ever read and is probably my favorite book this year. Thanks for the great suggestion, thread. Also, it's a debut novel?!
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Aug 16, 2015 15:56
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Debut novels can be good! 
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Aug 16, 2015 16:52
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Wapole Languray posted:I recently finished Lev Grossman's Magician's trilogy, and... I didn't hate them, but didn't really like them. Overall I just felt like I was waiting for something, some change in the characters, some shift in the story, and the third book ended with that same feeling. Like, I kept reading because I had this urge to get to a tipping point in the story where interest would change to proper enjoyment. I think the issue is I never got what the books were actually saying, never saw the message.
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Aug 16, 2015 17:17
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I think if it was really an attempt at deconstructing fantasy novels it should have just ended after wizard school with them just being a bunch of lazy degenerates.
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Aug 16, 2015 17:23
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Noctone posted:Pretty sure it's April 2016, actually. At least here in America, anyways. January 2016 http://www.tor.com/2015/04/28/deaths-end-cover-reveal-cixin-liu/ Edit yea Amazon lists it for April 2016
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Aug 16, 2015 19:16
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General Battuta posted:Debut novels can be good! I haven't found a Fantasy novel that I enjoy more than The Lies of Locke Lamora and I believe that was a debut novel. You're the G who wrote The Traitor Baru Cormorant right? It doesn't look like my bag but I might give it a shot if i'm not reading anything come september. Tell your publisher that us quaint british folk can handle a name being on the cover (seriously The Traitor is such a lame title compared to The Traitor Baru Cormorant)
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Aug 16, 2015 20:25
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MrFlibble posted:I haven't found a Fantasy novel that I enjoy more than The Lies of Locke Lamora and I believe that was a debut novel. It was. Lynch hadn't even published a single short story before Lies iirc
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Aug 16, 2015 20:33
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There's especially been a bunch of very good debut & pseudo-debut novels in SF&F in recent years.
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Aug 16, 2015 20:46
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In a way, The Lies of Locke Lamora is almost a problematic debut novel, though, because that's the standard he's held to now. He could write one good solid book a year for the rest of his life and never get a review that doesn't go "Meh, not as good as Lies" because most authors go their entire careers without ever writing one book that's that good, much less two of them. I've always thought that Red Seas and Republic got a bit of a bad rap just because they were being held up to the best book of the past decade.
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Aug 16, 2015 22:07
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I'm in the middle of Red Seas now. It's pretty cool how it just switches to being a pirate book mid-way through.
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Aug 16, 2015 22:09
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MrFlibble posted:The Lies of Locke Lamora That's actually the next series on my list
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Aug 16, 2015 22:18
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Noctone posted:Pretty sure it's April 2016, actually. At least here in America, anyways. According to the ending notes in TDF, it is "summer 2016". E: it seems we have three different dates... The literal note at the end of TDF is: "The next book in the series, Death's End, will be released in summer 2016". BTW, returning to the book, it has a big WTF moment when the american Wallfacer, Tyler, goes to Afghanistan to find noone other than Ossama Bin Laden. I wonder if it is just a "gently caress you, reality" or if the chinese censorship keeps that guy from knowing that OBL is dead. Just the same with the Chavez successor, which is already in charge, but that could be interpreted as the "real" successor, since the guy in charge now in Venezuela is a freak prick who did get messages from El Comandante delivered by a tweeting bird - and it is not the blue one in the internets. Amberskin fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Aug 16, 2015 |
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Aug 16, 2015 22:22
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I'm trying to get my hands on The Dark Forest, but even though Amazon remembers that I pre-ordered it months ago, they're still requesting my credit card and I'm wary of them charging me for the same book twice because of a site error. I won't be able to call them until tomorrow, but does anyone know if I should be worried or not? I'm also wary of the new Tolkein story, because the reception to Go Set a Watchmen wasn't great and there was probably a good reason this new story was never published until now. Solitair fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Aug 17, 2015 |
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Aug 17, 2015 01:16
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Amazon only charges for pre-orders when they ship, I think?
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Aug 17, 2015 01:20
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Amazon's return policy is sincerely generous. And if it's the ebook, I don't think the system let's you buy it twice without prompting you.
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Aug 17, 2015 01:21
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neongrey posted:Amazon only charges for pre-orders when they ship, I think? That's been my experience with them.
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Aug 17, 2015 01:52
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holocaust bloopers posted:Amazon's return policy is sincerely generous. And if it's the ebook, I don't think the system let's you buy it twice without prompting you. Thanks. I have the ebook now. I have a bit of a backlog of stuff to read thanks to this thread, but I'll get to The Dark Forest soon, I hope.
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Aug 17, 2015 02:19
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I'm trapped in a lovely reading loop. I want to read this series because I want to see how the plot goes, but holy gently caress the writing is just horrible. Good ideas, bad, bad bad bad bad writing. Not like, twilight levels of bad but just "HERE'S A 5 PAGE EXPOSITION DUMP" kinda bad. drat YOU KINDLE UNLIMITED
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Aug 17, 2015 02:32
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What series?
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Aug 17, 2015 02:35
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MrFlibble posted:I haven't found a Fantasy novel that I enjoy more than The Lies of Locke Lamora and I believe that was a debut novel. That's me! If you liked Locke Lamora I hope you'd like Baru too; I'm told they're faintly similar. At least they redesigned the British cover. It's pretty good-looking now, even with the truncated title on the spine.
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Aug 17, 2015 04:47
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Amberskin posted:BTW, returning to the book, it has a big WTF moment when the american Wallfacer, Tyler, goes to Afghanistan to find noone other than Ossama Bin Laden. I wonder if it is just a "gently caress you, reality" or if the chinese censorship keeps that guy from knowing that OBL is dead. Just the same with the Chavez successor, which is already in charge, but that could be interpreted as the "real" successor, since the guy in charge now in Venezuela is a freak prick who did get messages from El Comandante delivered by a tweeting bird - and it is not the blue one in the internets. TDF was written in 2008, before bin Laden was killed.
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Aug 17, 2015 04:49
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taser rates posted:TDF was written in 2008, before bin Laden was killed. Thanks. Now it makes sense. I didn't check the original publication data and just assumed that the english translation was done shortly after the chinese release.
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Aug 17, 2015 08:25
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Hedrigall posted:To be contrary to the other guy who replied to you, they're some of my favourite fantasy books ever. Agreed, and the friend of mine who recommended the series to me said she felt the same way. I loved the trilogy and so did she. Then I lent the series to my parents and they couldn't get past the first book. Felt it was too much of a Harry Potter rip and didn't agree with my urgings to push on. Oh well.
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Aug 17, 2015 16:59
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Leather Bear posted:What series? It's The Contact series by Albert Sartison. Somehow it's both interesting and not good.
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Aug 17, 2015 17:46
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