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anilEhilated posted:Oh hey, I missed that. There's two things you want to keep in mind on a (first) read: one, Severian is not a Good Person. I recently started re-reading The Shadow of the Torturer and it's amazing how open he is about being unreliable - forgetting stuff, ignorance, confusion, and yeah lying. I was surprised at how tightly the narrative sticks to his point of view - there's amazing concision, really only telling you exactly what you need to know. There's not much fat there, however much there seems to be. Severian is also not a genius and argues against himself on several occasions.
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Apr 26, 2016 15:22
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Hugo Awards nominations for today, currently being released via images on Twitter and Facebook, one incredibly annoying image at a time. Ah, Sanity eventually prevails, but the whole thing appears to have fallen over at this point, with no updates for the last 10 minutes. Oh - They misspelled one of the nominee's names for Best Professional Artist and had to quickly redo it. quote:Our sincerest aplogies to the family of Virgil Finlay for our spelling mistake. #HugoAwards #Retros41 #MidAmeriConII Lets have the Retro 1941 awards aka "The Robert A. Heinlein memorial award list" while they get their act back together. quote:1941 Retro Hugos OK, the 2016list, that only took 50 minutes quote:BEST NOVEL The Puppies continues to have an impact. If You Were an Award, My Love must be a record - first parody story nominated, and it's just in bad taste. Sure Rachel Swirsky's If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love may not be great literature, but to go out of your way to attack another writer is just loving low. She's taking it better than I would : Rachel Swirsky @rachelswirsky 11m minutes ago California, USA @MaryRobinette It's an honor to know the story has been so emotionally powerful for people. Oh hell, how could I miss Chuck Tingle's "Space Raptor Butt Invasion" ? "This erotic tale is 4,100 words of sizzling human on gay dinosaur action, including anal, blowjobs, rough sex, and space raptor love." evilbastard fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Apr 26, 2016 |
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Apr 26, 2016 18:28
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evilbastard posted:Lets have the Retro 1941 awards aka "The Robert A. Heinlein memorial award list" while they get their act back together. HP Lovecraft got a nod for best fan writer despite having been dead for two years before the start of the eligibility window.
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Apr 26, 2016 18:41
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anilEhilated posted:Oh hey, I missed that. There's two things you want to keep in mind on a (first) read: one, Severian is not a Good Person. House Louse posted:...secondly, what do you think of Severian, as a person? I found the Wolfe thread after my original post and scanned through it. I guess one of my issues is that after the first book Severian is still a pretty blank slate. He's a torturer and he instantly falls in love with nearly every woman he meets. He hung out in a mausoleum as a kid. Somehow he became the autarch. Vague hints that he likes one Master Torturer more than the other. Other than that he's a pretty passive character - he walks around doing what people tell him to do for the most part, and generally just lets things happen to him. None of these things help flesh him out as a character to me... he's just the guy stuff happens to. There are some small contradictions (he gives Thecla the knife to kill herself yet he's willing to perform cool torture tricks to impress his 16-yo girlfriend at the end of the book) and some intimations of the history and future of his world (space travel, science, guns), but none of it feels particularly compelling. If he isn't a Good Person (and it's pretty obvious that he's amoral at most) there's not a lot that makes me care about him being a bad person. I have a similar reaction to his unreliability as a narrator - if he's omitting, concealing, or exaggerating anything a) the deliberate obscurity of the writing makes it a pain in the rear end to find and b) I have a hard time seeing how any lies would throw enough of a twist in the plot to really matter, at least in the first book. Perhaps by the third or fourth book there'll be enough narrative to jerk things around, but based off of the first I just really don't care about any of the characters.
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Apr 26, 2016 19:13
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"The Hugo Nominated Space Raptor Butt Invasion."
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Apr 26, 2016 19:20
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Yeah, the Puppies got quite a few finalists on the lesser categories, especially Short Story and Related Work. http://midamericon2.org/home/hugo-awards-and-wsfs/2016-hugo-finalists/
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Apr 26, 2016 19:36
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It pains me to say it, but Seveneves might be the best of the best novel nominees. I've read the Leckie and don't need to read the Butcher or Novik to know they're underwhelming. Was The Fifth Season any good?
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Apr 26, 2016 20:12
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Bleh, Seveneves was the quintessential Big Idea, Big Mess book (for better and worse) that Stephenson just lives to write. On the bright side looks like it's time to bump Binti by Nnedi Okorafor up to top priority on my to-read pile! 
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Apr 26, 2016 20:17
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Alien: Out of the Shadows: An Audible Original Drama https://www.audible.com/mt/alien?serial=&source_code=AUDOREM0421169GV8 Sample sounds cool.
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Apr 26, 2016 20:20
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I didn't really like Seveneves, I just don't see anything else on that list that screams  Best Novel
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Apr 26, 2016 20:20
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That's because the entire thing is a joke
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Apr 26, 2016 20:26
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'Ancillary Mercy' and 'Fifth Season' are entirely deserving candidates.
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Apr 26, 2016 20:54
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Also I don't know the Sanderson, but the "Best Novella" otherwise looks pretty solid
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Apr 26, 2016 20:56
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Most of the Sanderson fans I know say that it's one of the best things he's ever written; I say that that is not a very high bar to clear.
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Apr 26, 2016 21:19
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Combed Thunderclap posted:On the bright side looks like it's time to bump Binti by Nnedi Okorafor up to top priority on my to-read pile! Enjoyed Binti. It's a quick read.
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Apr 26, 2016 21:20
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I wish I had a membership for whatever group got to vote on the Hugos so I could vote for Chuck Tingle.
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Apr 26, 2016 21:41
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Chairchucker posted:I wish I had a membership for whatever group got to vote on the Hugos so I could vote for Chuck Tingle. Just buy one: http://www.thehugoawards.org/i-want-to-vote/
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Apr 26, 2016 21:44
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anilEhilated posted:Alternately: if noir or cyberpunk are more your style, start with Chasm City. I love Reynolds' Revelation Space stuff but House of Suns just bored me. If you want something no-so-dark happening in the same place, different time, check The Prefect. E: By the way, I'm half past through Blindsight. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to read it despite the stupid vampire stuff. Which is not really so stupid. It is not as light reading. The book is full of ideas and references, and needs a calm and proper digestion. A nice quote from the book: "We are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines which happen to think sometimes". Amberskin fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Apr 26, 2016 |
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Apr 26, 2016 21:57
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I take it we can all agree now that the Hugos are a joke that even deserving authors can't take pride in anymore? Point made, Puppies. You won. You ruined it. Now get the gently caress out of the SF/F industry altogether.Number Ten Cocks posted:It pains me to say it, but Seveneves might be the best of the best novel nominees. I've read the Leckie and don't need to read the Butcher or Novik to know they're underwhelming. Was The Fifth Season any good? The Fifth Season is definitely deserving of an award on its own merits. It's not perfect, but it does some great things. ...and I have to admit that its nomination gives me petty vindictive delight considering loving Vox Day wrote the most racist modern screed I've ever read about the author. I hope he chokes on this. (ps read that book)
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Apr 26, 2016 22:07
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Ben Nevis posted:Enjoyed Binti. It's a quick read. Just finished it, highly recommended. Okorafor is a real talent.
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Apr 26, 2016 22:09
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Number Ten Cocks posted:. don't need to read the ... Novik to know they're underwhelming. Actually "Uprooted" got a lot of good press this year. Forex http://www.tor.com/2015/06/10/book-reviews-naomi-novik-uprooted/
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Apr 26, 2016 22:12
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The Fifth Season is a very good book.
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Apr 26, 2016 22:14
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I don't know if Uprooted is award-worthy, but it was a fun read and I'd certainly choose it over anything Jim Butcher has ever written. edit: The Fifth Season > Ancillary Mercy > Uprooted > Seveneves > No award
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Apr 26, 2016 22:18
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I'm a bit annoyed that General Battuta didn't get any nominations, either for TBC or his short story. I'm also annoyed that Bitch Planet didn't get a nomination in Best Graphic Story. Fuckin' Puppies. Also, I'm probably going to have to check out Fifth Season and Uprooted.
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Apr 26, 2016 22:19
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idiotsavant posted:I have a similar reaction to his unreliability as a narrator - if he's omitting, concealing, or exaggerating anything a) the deliberate obscurity of the writing makes it a pain in the rear end to find and b) I have a hard time seeing how any lies would throw enough of a twist in the plot to really matter, at least in the first book. Perhaps by the third or fourth book there'll be enough narrative to jerk things around, but based off of the first I just really don't care about any of the characters. Sadly a lot of the relevant stuff only becomes apparent on a second readthrough; most of the symbols and foreshadowing from the earliest chapters, for example, don't really click until you know how the whole thing plays out. That being said, if you aren't enjoying it, there's really no need to force yourself through; Wolfe definitely isn't for everyone. e: That's a... really weak list of Hugo novels. I haven't read Uprooted and The Fifth Season but none of the others struck me as particularly impressive. I'd easily rate TTBC over any of them. Oh well, at least there's considerably less Vox Day. And... Chuck Tingle? anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Apr 26, 2016 |
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Apr 26, 2016 22:40
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LOL Jemisin is going to win Best Novel for sure, just from all the people who want to stick their thumbs in Vox Day's eye. And I have to say since we're talking about Wolfe that the saddest thing about this list is that I just discovered Marc Aramini's book dissecting Wolfe's early fiction, which was nominated for a Hugo, was apparently published by Castalia House. I was going to read that, but I'm not giving money to the loving Puppies. edit: after looking into it, it doesn't seem like Aramini is a Puppy, which makes his book being a Castalia joint all the more baffling Popular Human fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Apr 26, 2016 |
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Apr 26, 2016 23:03
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ZakAce posted:I'm a bit annoyed that General Battuta didn't get any nominations, either for TBC or his short story. I'm also annoyed that Bitch Planet didn't get a nomination in Best Graphic Story. Fuckin' Puppies. I feel this, I nominated for TBC and the graphic story category is just a crying shame with so much good genre work being done. Fifth Season is good--it's easily the best thing Jemisin has done so far, with interesting worldbuilding to create a culture surviving against a very unpleasant environment. Of course, that same culture is dreadfully oppressive towards the minority whose power keeps them alive, and the depictions of how that abuse is layered and constructed are chillingly accurate. It's vibrant and creative, and I want to see how the central mystery resolves--part of the twist is explained, but there's still quite a lot of meat on the story for the later two books to get through. Uprooted, I enjoyed, but the more I thought about it the less I liked it. The Woods was a compelling enemy, down to its core, and the danger it represented was interesting. The Dragon never coalesced into a likeable or sympathetic character for me, however, which would be more excusable if the inevitable and obvious had not been the story's aim. I am...honestly surprised that Uprooted beat out some other contenders for nomination, but Novik is pretty popular I guess.
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Apr 26, 2016 23:11
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Number Ten Cocks posted:It pains me to say it, but Seveneves might be the best of the best novel nominees. I've read the Leckie and don't need to read the Butcher or Novik to know they're underwhelming. Was The Fifth Season any good? Fifth Season was really really dang good. Excellent worldbuilding (and I usually hate worldbuilding), strong cast of characters, some truly horrific scenes, and a well put together plot. I'd be surprised if Jemisin manages to stick the landing, but it is one hell of a start to a trilogy. And as long as Mercy doesn't win I'll be happy.
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Apr 26, 2016 23:26
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Kalenn Istarion posted:That's because the entire thing is a joke Thanks for pointing out to me this thread. You're a mensch! 
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Apr 26, 2016 23:43
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If I liked KJ Parker, should I give Tom Holt a spin, or is the non-pseudonym stuff completely different?
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Apr 26, 2016 23:54
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Ugly In The Morning posted:If I liked KJ Parker, should I give Tom Holt a spin, or is the non-pseudonym stuff completely different? Read Who's Afraid of Beowulf. You have then read all Tom Holt books. E: I should add that his schtick under his own name is "mythological humour".
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Apr 27, 2016 00:05
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Number Ten Cocks posted:It pains me to say it, but Seveneves might be the best of the best novel nominees. I've read the Leckie and don't need to read the Butcher or Novik to know they're underwhelming. Was The Fifth Season any good? Uprooted was delicious and I want to see her write more stuff like that. I was actually pretty disappointed when I read Temeraire because it doesn't come anywhere close to the fairly high bar set by her short stories; Uprooted clears it handily. If you're declaring it "underwhelming" based solely on Temeraire you have badly missed the mark. I haven't read the others yet, but I wouldn't be disappointed to see either Uprooted or Ancillary Mercy walk away with the Hugo.
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Apr 27, 2016 01:08
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Jedit posted:Read Who's Afraid of Beowulf. You have then read all Tom Holt books. I gave up on Holt a long time ago but I do remember his "Walled Orchard" books being both good and different than his usual stuff.
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Apr 27, 2016 01:21
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fritz posted:Also I don't know the Sanderson, but the "Best Novella" otherwise looks pretty solid I haven't read The Builders yet but if it's anywhere close to the quality of the other stuff Polansky's written then it's definitely deserving of an award. ZakAce posted:I'm a bit annoyed that General Battuta didn't get any nominations, either for TBC or his short story. I'm also annoyed that Bitch Planet didn't get a nomination in Best Graphic Story. Fuckin' Puppies. The Hugos hardly ever award the truly best writing the genre has to offer, especially in the novel category, and that goes back to well before any of the puppy drama happened.
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Apr 27, 2016 01:56
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^^ Traitor really should have take the place of Ancillary Mercy. It's like they're so scared of Puppy nominations they don't want to take a chance on someone new now. Pathetic.Combed Thunderclap posted:Bleh, Seveneves was the quintessential Big Idea, Big Mess book (for better and worse) that Stephenson just lives to write. Read Binti a while ago, and my only complaint was it was too damned short. In other words, it was great. Stuporstar fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Apr 27, 2016 |
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Apr 27, 2016 02:31
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New Craig Schaefer book is incredibly insane. I'm about 15-20% into it and I'm not spoiling anything. Just gonna say "What...the...gently caress??" Also, Chuck wasted no time! 
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Apr 27, 2016 04:09
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Is that a good "What the gently caress?" Or a bad one?
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Apr 27, 2016 04:34
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Also, Chuck wasted no time! I don't even care that his nomination was a troll by that shithead Vox Day. This is still loving funny.
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Apr 27, 2016 04:47
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:New Craig Schaefer book is incredibly insane. I'm about 15-20% into it and I'm not spoiling anything. Just gonna say "What...the...gently caress??" My greatest hope is that "chuck tingle" turns out to be a pen name for like, a queer transwoman or something. Grimson fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Apr 27, 2016 |
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Apr 27, 2016 05:08
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There are audiobook versions of Chuck Tingle's stories, that's... not something I associate with self published erotica. They seem really competently read too.
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Apr 27, 2016 05:20
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