|
He also seems to focus on the details but not the experience of those details He tells us the suit does yadda and works like yadda and had a tube up your butthole and penis and etc. but I am not getting a good idea of what it is like inside there What happens if your face itches? What does it actually feel like to poop in a tube up your rear end in a top hat. Is the inside of the suit stuff, or comfortable? Do people experience claustrophobia.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 17:52 |
|
|
# ? May 22, 2024 17:11 |
|
Mel, put down FW and move on to Too Like The Lightning
|
# ? May 9, 2017 17:54 |
|
Mel Mudkiper posted:I do not get how a man can spend a page describing a suit and then land on an alien planet and just say "Its a jungle" FW is a Vietnam allegory, he didn't need to describe the jungle. If you really want to read his description of a jungle, find a copy of War Year. That's an actual Vietnam experience novel.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 18:08 |
|
mllaneza posted:FW is a Vietnam allegory, he didn't need to describe the jungle. If you really want to read his description of a jungle, find a copy of War Year. That's an actual Vietnam experience novel. Well yeah obviously its a Vietnam war allegory. I don't get why that means how a missile works should get a page of text and the planet they are on a sentence. Hieronymous Alloy posted:It's also a little weird reading Forever War without having read Heinlein, and specifically Starship Troopers, first. It was pretty much a direct response. I've read it before the movie is better Mel Mudkiper fucked around with this message at 18:16 on May 9, 2017 |
# ? May 9, 2017 18:11 |
It's also a little weird reading Forever War without having read Heinlein, and specifically Starship Troopers, first. It was pretty much a direct response.
|
|
# ? May 9, 2017 18:13 |
|
The main problem with reading Starship Troopers and Forever War is that they were influential enough to have spawned thousands of copy-cats some of which are actually good and far more relevant to the reader today.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 18:24 |
|
Mel Mudkiper posted:He also seems to focus on the details but not the experience of those details Don't tell me what's up your butthole. Show me.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 18:28 |
|
I want to start the third "City of ___" book. I've read the past 2 and really enjoyed them, but I don't know if it's something about the author, but I can't remember the details of the last few chapters of either book. Can someone spoil the ending of them for me so I've got the details down for the third one. City of Stairs ended with the main character discovering the gods were hiding in a tomb in a mirror then something something happened and a trikster god was revealed? Her ex boyfriend was somehow involved? She stopped it somehow? Details? City of blades ended with the main character finding a former coworker who everyone thought was dead in the dead world pretending to be the war god? Then she took up the mantle and told the dead to come back home and not conquer earth? Is that right? I really did like those books, not sure why I remember the conclusions so vaguely.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 19:37 |
|
Mr Chaos posted:I want to start the third "City of ___" book. I've read the past 2 and really enjoyed them, but I don't know if it's something about the author, but I can't remember the details of the last few chapters of either book. Can someone spoil the ending of them for me so I've got the details down for the third one. I have only read the first one but I recall: the protagonist takes a bunch of drugs and fights the re-awakened god(s) who were actually not dead, and wins, and then coups her aunt to become prime minister of not-India. turns out she and her family and their myth hero were related to the Gods all along! even though they hated them! I don't remember either really, and I liked it too. PlushCow posted:TOR's ebook of the month is Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, it's a good book and you should signup and get it for free http://www.tor.com/2017/05/09/torcom-ebook-club-may/ I'm seemingly the only person who doesn't like A Fire Upon the Deep but I still think sf fans should read it. I've had the prequel sitting on my shelf for years and never cracked it because of how much I didn't like Fire, but haven't ditched it because one day I will read it (my least favorite part of Fire is the Tines and it lacks those entirely I think?).
|
# ? May 9, 2017 19:47 |
|
Mr Chaos posted:I want to start the third "City of ___" book. I've read the past 2 and really enjoyed them, but I don't know if it's something about the author, but I can't remember the details of the last few chapters of either book. Can someone spoil the ending of them for me so I've got the details down for the third one. Close. The Trickster god merged with another god, trapped in a mirror and was basically bonkers (from being trapped in a mirror and merged). The Ex was part of a cult that knew about the mirror and wanted to bring the god back but I don't think they knew about the other god they'd merged with? With those two gods dead, mirror related miracles stopped working. Also it was revealed that the one remaining goddess is still very much alive but in hiding. quote:City of blades ended with the main character finding a former coworker who everyone thought was dead in the dead world pretending to be the war god? Then she took up the mantle and told the dead to come back home and not conquer earth? Is that right? 100% correct. Snuffman fucked around with this message at 19:54 on May 9, 2017 |
# ? May 9, 2017 19:49 |
|
Snuffman posted:Close. The Trickster god merged with another god, trapped in a mirror and was basically bonkers (from being trapped in a mirror and merged). The Ex was part of a cult that knew about the mirror and wanted to bring the god back but I don't think they knew about the other god they'd merged with? With those two gods dead, mirror related miracles stopped working. The ex was specifically not part of a cult. His lunatic brother was. The ex died flipping off the god who'd made his life hell for being gay.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 20:01 |
|
Also the hidden goddess wasn't really in hiding so much as voluntary exile--her worshipers had decided they didn't need her direct intervention anymore, and so she took a hike. Being inhuman, holding onto power wasn't something important to her, and the gods are/were explicitly influenced by what their flock desired--this drove the imprisoned god insane as he tried to understand humans' needs for order even before the trickster god got into him. The goddess's remaining cult continued to worship her but in a more esoteric way, and devoted themselves to good works. They were portrayed as a small sect of limited resources, but persistent. I have City of Blades on the shelf, I should read that. I read American Elsewhere not too long ago and while it had its flaws I really enjoyed it.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 20:24 |
American Elsewhere would have been a lot better if it was about 200 pages shorter.
|
|
# ? May 9, 2017 21:01 |
|
Mr Chaos posted:I want to start the third "City of ___" book. I've read the past 2 and really enjoyed them, but I don't know if it's something about the author, but I can't remember the details of the last few chapters of either book. Can someone spoil the ending of them for me so I've got the details down for the third one. I am two-third through and is enjoying it. As with the others, each book is relatively loosely connected to one another and most important things are recapped early on. One of the interesting facets of the series is how the world in the background is transformed from a fantasy world to an industrial world.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 21:20 |
|
my bony fealty posted:I have only read the first one but I recall: the protagonist takes a bunch of drugs and fights the re-awakened god(s) who were actually not dead, and wins, and then coups her aunt to become prime minister of not-India. turns out she and her family and their myth hero were related to the Gods all along! even though they hated them! I don't remember either really, and I liked it too. There's no Tines, but they show up in the third book (which I've never read). If it's any impetus to read A Deepness in the Sky , it's much better than A Fire Upon the Deep. There's a few things that I think reading Fire first makes the prequel better, but not completely necessary to enjoy.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 21:38 |
|
uberkeyzer posted:Tooth and Claw sounds dope, I'll have to read that. I must've forgotten that bit, because no argument that is one lovely book.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 21:41 |
|
my bony fealty posted:I'm seemingly the only person who doesn't like A Fire Upon the Deep but I still think sf fans should read it. I've had the prequel sitting on my shelf for years and never cracked it because of how much I didn't like Fire, but haven't ditched it because one day I will read it (my least favorite part of Fire is the Tines and it lacks those entirely I think?). Correct, Deepness has a completely different alien species.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 21:56 |
|
Groke posted:Nah, I read that way back when it came out, it was cool and clever and neat. Also, I liked how the protagonists had head issues but got the gently caress over them enough to use their heads to be clever and also summon a loving spaceman hero with power armor, sure, why not. It's also, imo, a genuinely feminist novel, which is mildly weird given the author.
|
# ? May 9, 2017 22:05 |
|
Oh I just remembered a book Mel should read to really get a feel for the Sci-fi genre, i.e. anything by John Ringo preferably something like the Last Centurion.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 01:28 |
|
Jack2142 posted:Oh I just remembered a book Mel should read to really get a feel for the Sci-fi genre, i.e. anything by John Ringo preferably something like the Last Centurion. Give me a little credit
|
# ? May 10, 2017 01:31 |
|
ShinsoBEAM! posted:Welcome to the genre, thankfully it seems to be doing less and less of that in recent years. I find Mark Rosenfelder's version more concise and funnier: quote:If all stories were written like science fiction stories But obviously in sci-fi you have to make some concessions to explaining your made-up world to your readers. Better writers just disguise it better. I think William Gibson is constantly cited as someone who just drops you into the world and expects you to keep up, but that's not quite true; there's just a big difference between brazenly spoonfeeding your readers, or giving them a more steady drip of information in a less obvious way.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 02:14 |
|
GreyjoyBastard posted:
He's shown a lot of improvement over the course of his career. The horrific missteps in the first Covenant book were left far behind for Mirrors, or even the second Covenant trilogy. Then we got Angus Thermopylae and the most hosed up face turn ever. f.ed. I just looked around and he has a new series starting up in November ! I'm always down for centuries of sorcerous warfare.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 02:43 |
|
ShinsoBEAM! posted:Welcome to the genre, thankfully it seems to be doing less and less of that in recent years. Jesus Christ
|
# ? May 10, 2017 06:14 |
|
PlushCow posted:There's no Tines, but they show up in the third book (which I've never read).
|
# ? May 10, 2017 06:32 |
|
Chairchucker posted:If you think that's his biggest reason for shame you have missed this little takedown: http://hradzka.livejournal.com/392471.html Let's put Piers Anthony and John Ringo on a boat together and send it out to the middle of the sea and have them knife fight to the death. Afterwards we napalm the boat
|
# ? May 10, 2017 08:04 |
|
Rough Lobster posted:Let's put Piers Anthony and John Ringo on a boat together and send it out to the middle of the sea and have them knife fight to the death. That's just asking for them to wash up on the shore of an island filled with nubile young women with no men around you know. freebooter posted:I find Mark Rosenfelder's version more concise and funnier: The lack of conciseness is kind of the point, but that one is good too.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 15:17 |
|
ShinsoBEAM! posted:That's just asking for them to wash up on the shore of an island filled with nubile young women with no men around you know.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 16:51 |
|
I remember This American Life did a story about a 10 year old boy who ran away from home to live with Piers Anthony and I was genuinely surprised it didn't end with "He was last seen alive entering the home"
|
# ? May 10, 2017 17:44 |
|
Were parts 1 and 2 of Forever War written way after each other? The shift in tone and style and substance from the first section to the second in jarring. The first section felt like an empty listing of scientific theories with stock characters. The second section actually has development and depth and sincerity. I feel like a completely different writer did the second section.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 21:08 |
|
The current Humble Books bundle claims to be the "Nebula Awards Bundle" but it seems to be more a loosely-collected series of authors along the common theme of 'were willing to agree to Humble's royalty terms' or something like that. That said, there's some really good stuff in there, old and new.
|
# ? May 10, 2017 21:27 |
|
Mel Mudkiper posted:Were parts 1 and 2 of Forever War written way after each other? The shift in tone and style and substance from the first section to the second in jarring. The first section felt like an empty listing of scientific theories with stock characters. The second section actually has development and depth and sincerity. I feel like a completely different writer did the second section. It's apparently a fix-up of 4 stories that appeared in Analog from 1972-1975. http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/haldeman_joe
|
# ? May 10, 2017 22:09 |
|
uberkeyzer posted:Anyone here read Among Others by Jo Walton? I just finished it and it's really a well done and charming mix of SF-ish fairy story and British boarding school / coming of age novel. It's particularly appealing for those of us who've read a lot in-genre as the main character talks a lot about Heinlein, LeGuin, etc. (and talks poo poo about Thomas Covenant and Piers Anthony...) Anything else by Walton that's worth reading? Yes, and absolutely adored it to hell and back. I think it would make a great basis for a Seventies science fiction course, even if the lead character is totally wrong about Thomas Covenant. Robot Wendigo fucked around with this message at 01:46 on May 11, 2017 |
# ? May 11, 2017 01:42 |
|
Mel Mudkiper posted:Were parts 1 and 2 of Forever War written way after each other? The shift in tone and style and substance from the first section to the second in jarring. The first section felt like an empty listing of scientific theories with stock characters. The second section actually has development and depth and sincerity. I feel like a completely different writer did the second section. I definitely noticed this too when I read it, so you're not alone. FWIW, the rest of the book is a lot more like part 2 than part 1.
|
# ? May 11, 2017 13:42 |
|
Cpt. Mahatma Gandhi posted:I definitely noticed this too when I read it, so you're not alone. FWIW, the rest of the book is a lot more like part 2 than part 1. Yeah, I am enjoying it a lot more now. I wish the section about returning home was the entire book honestly. Time dilation as a metaphorical magnification of post-war alienation is really interesting and I am way more interested in that than the space battles.
|
# ? May 11, 2017 14:06 |
Mel Mudkiper posted:Yeah, I am enjoying it a lot more now. You may eventually want to check out the sequel (Forever Free, not Forever Peace) as it explores more of dynamic. As a warning, though, it gets really weird with it's philosophy in the end, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
|
|
# ? May 11, 2017 14:22 |
|
Ornamented Death posted:You may eventually want to check out the sequel (Forever Free, not Forever Peace) as it explores more of dynamic. As a warning, though, it gets really weird with it's philosophy in the end, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Counterpoint: Forever Free also made interesting points about war and peace and people, whereas Forever Peace was dumb and bad.
|
# ? May 11, 2017 19:51 |
|
Finished Forever War It was... bizarrely paced. The novel kept having moments that should have lasted chapters lasting paragraphs. The entire ending felt like it was in fast-forward. I thought when it was successful, it was fantastic. When it is was not successful, it showed its age. Anyways, on to Neuromancer
|
# ? May 11, 2017 19:56 |
|
Ceebees posted:Counterpoint: Forever Free also made interesting points about war and peace and people, whereas Forever Peace was dumb and bad. Is agreeing with someone a counterpoint?
|
# ? May 11, 2017 19:58 |
Sibling of TB posted:Is agreeing with someone a counterpoint? I suspect he may have gotten the titles mixed up? I had to look up which was which before making that post. I also haven't read Forever Peace, so my post wasn't intended to be a comment on its quality, just that it was not the sequel to Forever War.
|
|
# ? May 11, 2017 20:05 |
|
|
# ? May 22, 2024 17:11 |
|
Mel Mudkiper posted:Anyways, on to Neuromancer I'm anxiously awaiting this update.
|
# ? May 11, 2017 20:06 |