|
Was it this thread that someone recently mentioned Creatures and Caverns? The first was mildly amusing, but the second is on fire, I'm averaging a high LOL rate. Glad I bought a bunch of these on sale.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 22:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 18:34 |
|
|
Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:The exiles series by Peter Clines is a pretty good superhero series. It's superheroes in a zombie apocalypse. Lots of diff heroes, interesting storylines. I like the Ex-Heroes books for autistic supermodel lady batman. Unironically. Stealth is awesome.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 23:56
|
|
|
The Slithery D posted:Was it this thread that someone recently mentioned Creatures and Caverns? The first was mildly amusing, but the second is on fire, I'm averaging a high LOL rate. Glad I bought a bunch of these on sale. Yeah, they get more ridiculous as they go on. The third one ended on a cliffhanger though, kind of disappointing
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 01:57
|
|
|
navyjack posted:I like the Ex-Heroes books for autistic supermodel lady batman. Unironically. Stealth is awesome. Agreed re: Stealth. I also like how her relationship with St. George developed.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 04:16
|
|
|
Crossposting from the identify me a book thread Phy posted:SF heist story about a guy who designs impossible-to-steal-from vaults getting roped into stealing from his own latest creation, a labyrinth (maybe on the moon), complete with a silent murderous robot as minotaur. I think I remember the book being clear about the difference between a labyrinth and a maze, and having something to do with pattern recognition, like there's a part where the labyrinth will kill him if he doesn't type or walk with the exact rhythm that his former client would. I think I read it about 20 years ago. The silent death robot wasn't minotaur-shaped, sadly - I want to say it was a faceless black machine that took up the entire corridor of the labyrinth, like a D&D gelatinous cube.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 14:25
|
|
|
That sounds awesome.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 14:30
|
|
WarLocke posted:Yeah, they get more ridiculous as they go on. The third one ended on a cliffhanger though, kind of disappointing I just saw there's a short story called "Naga Please." 
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 17:31
|
|
|
Phy posted:Crossposting from the identify me a book thread Did some deeper googling for "heist moon" and cutting out everything that sounded popular and wrong, and I got to The Second Angel by Philip Kerr. I'm fairly sure that's it, but it got some really lousy reviews, which may speak to its quality and why I don't remember a title or author. The central setpiece of the story is better than the author could do justice to?
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 20:10
|
|
|
The Slithery D posted:I just saw there's a short story called "Naga Please." Hahaha I have to track that down now. Those books really are a lot better than they have any right being, considering the premise. I also hope someone figures out what the gelatinous cube robot maze book is, because I want to read it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 00:36
|
|
|
I picked up a kindle unlimited subscription pretty much to binge all the short stories. Some of the best humor is from Julian trying to be incredibly PC about races when he's trapped in the gaming world and they just literally do not give half of a gently caress.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 02:06
|
|
|
Phy posted:The central setpiece of the story is better than the author could do justice to? This is remarkably common, there are tons of authors who have this problem. The most notable, to my mind, is Simon R Green.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 02:54
|
|
|
Khizan posted:This is remarkably common, there are tons of authors who have this problem. The most notable, to my mind, is Simon R Green. Boy is that true. Easiest thing in the world to come up with Green, really.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 04:04
|
|
|
Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:I picked up a kindle unlimited subscription pretty much to binge all the short stories. Oh yeah, I remember this got especially funny in the short story with all the Drow in it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 08:26
|
|
|
mcustic posted:Does it get better after the scene in the nazi safehouse, maybe a fifth into the first book? I found the writing confusing. I think so. The first 1/4 in particular I thought was quite rough. The character introductions for Will and Marsh had me rolling my eyes. At around halfway through the first book things start coming together and it stays at a consistently high level for the rest of the series.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 13:12
|
|
|
WarLocke posted:Yeah, they get more ridiculous as they go on. The third one ended on a cliffhanger though, kind of disappointing I actually tried reading these since they were on sale cheaply and the first one was just so offputting and dull--there's no characterization to three of the lead cast beyond 'class/race', they're all 'normal dudes' of the sort who hang out in a fast-food chicken restaurant but still think themselves superior to the guy the invited to CM for them. The only exception was Cooper, who's characterization was 'is a dick' in the most infantile possible way, and 'shits himself' as a representation of low charisma. Their jokes were deeply unfunny and I got to the point where they were trying to bust whoever played the halfling out of jail and found I did not care at all about these assholes.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 13:36
|
|
|
Hieronymous Alloy posted:Everything I've read of hers is excellent but I'd say start with the black death one then move to blackout/ all clear. Caveat, especially if you're British - she isn't, and it shows. http://drplokta.livejournal.com/121426.html http://drplokta.livejournal.com/121650.html http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/sf/fw.htm (and as an Oxford 'history major' myself I can personally attest to everything in the third link). I mean it depends how much that sort of thing irritates you, but it sure bugged me.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 15:40
|
|
|
feedmegin posted:Caveat, especially if you're British - she isn't, and it shows. The fact that you cited Livejournal entries immediately takes credibility away from your argument.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 15:43
|
|
|
XBenedict posted:The fact that you cited Livejournal entries immediately takes credibility away from your argument. One of the people posting in those LJ entries is Charles Stross, FYI, who does do the research.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 15:49
|
|
|
Just enjoy the drat book!
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 15:56
|
|
|
Alastair Reynolds. I read Pushing Ice and started skipping a quarter of the way through the book. The writing is painfully clunky (count the descriptions of old band t-shirts), the plot is kind of all over the place, and I didn't really give a gently caress about any of the characters. There's the whole relationship between Svetlana and the captain lady but it's so obfuscated by all the other bullshit and One Million lovely Descriptions that I wasn't going to bother trying to decipher much of it. I read Redshirts afterwards and holy poo poo was that a breath of fresh air. So the question: are the rest of his books like that? I was thinking about checking out Revelation Space but if the writing follows the same theme (exhausting description of even the tiniest inconsequential detail) I don't want to bother. Also someone help me out with Gene Wolfe's Red Sun books. It's very writerly writing and can be interesting, but so far the story is Severian running into Random rear end poo poo while 16-yo's tear all their clothes off and he matter-of-factly goes on about getting all up in their guts. ("But it was not my body that was impaled, but hers." Oh, word?) When it comes to writerly writing I'll take Vance's Dying Sun any day, and Croaker of The Black Company was more interesting as an unreliable narrator (though I can't say that the books were better or worse). Severian's fever dream experiences that hint of the future and past of the world are compelling, but I'm finding some of the contrast to be disjointed and offputting between what is known and not known. What am I missing here?
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 18:45
|
|
|
Read House of Suns and if you don't like it give up on Reynolds. I really liked Revelation Space/Redemption Ark way back when I read them, but they're very cold, clinical books, and their appeal comes from their eerie horror and immensity.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 18:58
|
|
|
General Battuta posted:Read House of Suns and if you don't like it give up on Reynolds.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 19:04
|
|
|
I checked out Chasm City, too, so I'll give it a peek. My concern isn't so much for theme as it is for his writing - sorry, dude, but I really don't give a gently caress that your character pulled on their "threadbare old 'Ratty Rat and the Space Rats Reunion Tour 2037' vintage T-shirt with a mustard stain on the shoulder" for the fifteenth time in the book
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 19:12
|
|
|
Re: Reynolds - I might be in the minority here based on previous conversations I've seen that weren't so favorable, but I really like the Poseidon's Children trilogy. It has all the usual hard sci-fi staples that AR is known for, but takes place in a setting that is much closer to home and in the relatively near future (2160s for the first book, Blue Remembered Earth.)
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 19:14
|
|
|
Cpt. Mahatma Gandhi posted:Re: Reynolds - I might be in the minority here based on previous conversations I've seen that weren't so favorable, but I really like the Poseidon's Children trilogy. It has all the usual hard sci-fi staples that AR is known for, but takes place in a setting that is much closer to home and in the relatively near future (2160s for the first book, Blue Remembered Earth.) I really enjoyed that trilogy too. Then again, I've liked almost everything he's written except for a couple stinkers. (Terminal World and Century Rain I'm looking at you.) I'm pretty excited to find out more about his new novel he's writing. It's supposed to be a stand alone not related to anything else he's done.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 20:26
|
|
|
johnsonrod posted:I'm pretty excited to find out more about his new novel he's writing. It's supposed to be a stand alone not related to anything else he's done. It's called Revenger, and here's the weirdly incomplete description from the publisher's page: quote:A superb SF adventure set in the rubble of a ruined universe, this is a deep space heist story of kidnap, betrayal, alien artefacts and revenge.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 22:21
|
|
|
I'm loving the story, characters, and setting of Revelation Space but I'll be honest, it's really hard for me to make it through because of how in depth and drawn out everything is.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 22:51
|
|
|
navyjack posted:I like the Ex-Heroes books for autistic supermodel lady batman. Unironically. Stealth is awesome. I read the first one of these in a single sitting today. Book is actually pretty good. Stealth is kinda hosed up but I totally get the Batman deconstruction there. Superheroes vs Zombies would not have been something I would have thought I'd want to read before now, but Clines does it pretty well.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 00:44
|
|
|
XBenedict posted:The fact that you cited Livejournal entries immediately takes credibility away from your argument. It's a book criticism not a scientific thesis you dork
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 00:58
|
|
|
WarLocke posted:I read the first one of these in a single sitting today. Book is actually pretty good. Stealth is kinda hosed up but I totally get the Batman deconstruction there. I very much enjoyed them. And Stealth is the best. In one of the books you get some real insight into her past, and all I can say is god drat.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 01:14
|
|
|
flosofl posted:I very much enjoyed them. And Stealth is the best. In one of the books you get some real insight into her past, and all I can say is god drat. I think my favorite surreal moment was when a bunch of characters were comparing celebrity kill counts. One guy is bragging that he shot Zombie Alex Trebeck, another character counters with having killed Chekhov and Sulu (the real ones, not the ones from the new movie), and Cerberus is like "I got that one lady from that assassins movie. The Smiths, or whatever." "Oh my god you killed Angelina Jolie?!?" And actually, most of the supers in the book are pretty interesting. St. George is pretty transparently the Superman of the book but his powers and character are pretty distinct. Cerberus' power armor is almost nothing like the typical Iron Man type suit, and Gorgon is just... Gorgon. Just about everything with Banzai was sad as hell, though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 01:21
|
|
|
XBenedict posted:The fact that you cited Livejournal entries immediately takes credibility away from your argument. A lot of SF people were on LJ in those years as the first place of refuge after usenet.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 01:22
|
|
|
feedmegin posted:Caveat, especially if you're British - she isn't, and it shows. Some of that stuff is minor but some of it's totally embarrassing, especially in a Hugo nominee (or winner in the case of "Fire Watch"). It seems like every other review I read of her mentions her lack of research... idiotsavant posted:Also someone help me out with Gene Wolfe's Red Sun books. It's very writerly writing and can be interesting, but so far the story is Severian running into Random rear end poo poo while 16-yo's tear all their clothes off and he matter-of-factly goes on about getting all up in their guts. ("But it was not my body that was impaled, but hers." Oh, word?) When it comes to writerly writing I'll take Vance's Dying Sun any day, and Croaker of The Black Company was more interesting as an unreliable narrator (though I can't say that the books were better or worse). Severian's fever dream experiences that hint of the future and past of the world are compelling, but I'm finding some of the contrast to be disjointed and offputting between what is known and not known. The title, for one thing, it's The Book of the New Sun. You might get a better response in the Gene Wolfe thread, but for now: the plot eventually comes together in a satisfying way, to me, but it takes its time getting there and in between it does look a lot like random stuff happening. It's better when you re-read it. I understand that's an issue... secondly, what do you think of Severian, as a person?
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 01:36
|
|
|
If anyone is interested, I am selling my signed limited (to 5000 copies) first edition of Neil Gaiman's American Gods that I received as a retailer incentive while working for a small independent bookshop in 2001. It's a pretty cool book to have and I want to keep it, but I am trying to get a small business off the ground and need the cash  . In any case, these do not pop up for sale very often.http://www.ebay.com/itm/172180492436?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 bad day fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Apr 26, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 02:51
|
|
|
idiotsavant posted:Croaker of The Black Company was more interesting as an unreliable narrator The Black Company books make a lot less sense if you don't understand this.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 05:25
|
|
|
bad day posted:If anyone is interested, I am selling my signed limited (to 5000 copies) first edition of Neil Gaiman's American Gods that I received as a retailer incentive while working for a small independent bookshop in 2001. It's a pretty cool book to have and I want to keep it, but I am trying to get a small business off the ground and need the cash Got ya started out a bit. If there are other fans out there, grab it. Chances are if the show does well, this is gonna skyrocket in price.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 05:31
|
|
|
ToxicFrog posted:C.J. Cherryh writes a lot of aliens, of varying levels of strangeness. And her books are just generally excellent. My favorite alien psychology bit in this one was the human scientist going "noooo a regul group without elders is loving terrifying, you don't understand" And he's completely right and they go entirely round the bend. Not that the mri don't own, but the examination of a species that Literally Can't Forget was great.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 06:16
|
|
|
Kalenn Istarion posted:The Black Company books make a lot less sense if you don't understand this.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 06:52
|
|
|
The second Harmony Black book, the fourth Pax Arcana book, and the Abercrombie short story collection. I don't know where to begin. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 06:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 18:34 |
|
|
idiotsavant posted:Also someone help me out with Gene Wolfe's Red Sun books. It's very writerly writing and can be interesting, but so far the story is Severian running into Random rear end poo poo while 16-yo's tear all their clothes off and he matter-of-factly goes on about getting all up in their guts. ("But it was not my body that was impaled, but hers." Oh, word?) When it comes to writerly writing I'll take Vance's Dying Sun any day, and Croaker of The Black Company was more interesting as an unreliable narrator (though I can't say that the books were better or worse). Severian's fever dream experiences that hint of the future and past of the world are compelling, but I'm finding some of the contrast to be disjointed and offputting between what is known and not known. Two, Severian lies. Frequently. Anyhow, we have a Wolfe thread if you want more info or hints. e: Just make sure to start your post with "Wolfe is not dead" - there isn't much activity and people expect the worst whenever someone bumps it. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 09:59 on Apr 26, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 09:48
|
|