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It’s Lady Pole. I also waffle on Norrell, he is undeniably a shithead but he kind of grew on me by the end.
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Mar 3, 2018 01:11
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General Battuta posted:Best depictions of hell and Satan in SFF, go James Blish's Black Easter and The Day After Judgment. Also, Niven and Pournelle's Inferno, which is pretty crap but has its amusing moments, including having Kurt Vonnegut in hell. And does The Satanic Verses count?
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Mar 3, 2018 04:14
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General Battuta posted:Best depictions of hell and Satan in SFF, go A Case of Conscience by James Blish aka the sff book that ends with a exorcism exploding an entire planet. It gets bonus points for predicting the internet & social media echo-chambers like twitter.
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Mar 3, 2018 05:42
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trip9 posted:Off topic question: Is there any sort of goon consensus on the last VanderMeer novel Borne? I quite enjoyed all of The Southern Reach if that helps. I still think the Ambergris books were better than the Southern Reach and find it vaguely irritating he's more famous for the latter now
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Mar 3, 2018 08:02
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell stuff Like many of Austin's characters, Norrell is a sympathetic (and at times entertaining) bad person. Even by the standards of the English aristocracy he's small-minded, egotistical, and hypocritical, but his actions have only left him miserable and lonely and he lacks any critical context to determine why.
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Mar 3, 2018 08:18
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Neurosis posted:I still think the Ambergris books were better than the Southern Reach and find it vaguely irritating he's more famous for the latter now Shriek is brilliant from start to end and Finch makes for a pretty fitting ending of the whole thing, though. My favorite Vandermeer has got to be The Situation though. Just the right mix of the absurd, the horrifying and everyday office backstabbery.
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Mar 3, 2018 09:00
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trip9 posted:It's been a while since reading Southern Reach, so I'm prob good on that front. I'm just finishing up The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and I'm really enjoying the "feel good" aspects of it. I read so much deeply depressing stuff that I was afraid I was gonna be turned off by it, but instead it felt pretty refreshing. oddly i kept getting kameron hurley's bel dame series as recommended based on liking 'long way'. apart from being written by women not much else in common. i'm half way through the first one, i'm liking it, any thoughts on the rest? fwiw i really like the stars are legion but didn't like the worldbreaker saga much.
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Mar 3, 2018 13:52
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Microcline posted:Like many of Austin's characters, Norrell is a sympathetic (and at times entertaining) bad person. Even by the standards of the English aristocracy he's small-minded, egotistical, and hypocritical, but his actions have only left him miserable and lonely and he lacks any critical context to determine why. Yeah, even though he's terrible, he's kind of adorable like a small animal because he's so helpless and naive outside of his specialty.
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Mar 3, 2018 14:40
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trip9 posted:I'm just finishing up The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and I'm really enjoying the "feel good" aspects of it. I read so much deeply depressing stuff that I was afraid I was gonna be turned off by it, but instead it felt pretty refreshing. I'm halfway through and I agree. Becky Chambers is good at portraying strong friendships that inspire optimism. That said, I came into it having already read A Closed and Common Orbit, a sequel of sorts, and knowing how Lovey changes between books I'm bracing myself, because it's likely that something, or even everything, about Jenks' plan went awry. anilEhilated posted:SR is much tighter and holds together better. I like the Ambergris books a lot, but the stories in City of Saints and Madmen vary in quality a lot and the fact it starts off with one of the weakest probably doesn't help either. Does anybody know why City of Saints and Madmen isn't on Kindle, but Shriek and Finch are? Solitair fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Mar 3, 2018 |
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Mar 3, 2018 18:26
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Solitair posted:I'm halfway through and I agree. Becky Chambers is good at portraying strong friendships that inspire optimism. Did you like A Closed and Common Orbit? I've heard that it's not as good...
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Mar 3, 2018 20:49
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This printer error is disappointing . It jumps around and is missing at least 20 pages. 
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Mar 3, 2018 20:58
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RisqueBarber posted:This printer error is disappointing . It jumps around and is missing at least 20 pages.
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Mar 3, 2018 21:01
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General Battuta posted:Best depictions of hell and Satan in SFF, go Unfortunately there wasn't much of it shown in the first book, but the hints of what the deeper parts of Hell are like in Mark Alder's Son of the Morning had me fascinated.
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Mar 3, 2018 23:42
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Heinlein's 'Magic Inc' has a good section in hell, as does Michael Shea's 'Nifft the Lean'
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Mar 4, 2018 00:08
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Solitair posted:I'm halfway through and I agree. Becky Chambers is good at portraying strong friendships that inspire optimism. She's got a third coming in July! 
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Mar 4, 2018 01:37
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my bony fealty posted:Does anyone like Doris Piserchia. I just read Earth in Twilight and it was very goofy. Her writing style is really funny. I love Piserchia and it's a drat shame she wasn't able to continue writing. Spaceling is my personal favorite, but I discovered that book as a child and the notion of having a superpower that let you travel through endless miraculous dimensions was extremely exciting. I am glad that it holds up as an entertaining read as an adult however, not all of one's childhood friends stand up so neatly. Edited as I catch up with the thread: To the person who was asking about A Closed and Common Orbit, I thought it was even stronger than Long Way but it is a bit less happy--not dark or violent, but less neatly emotionally tied up. It focuses on other characters and some people like them less, which is fine, but I found their lives interesting and Chambers managed to portray the horrific elements of a situation without wallowing in them. One common complaint is that "nothing happens," which is to say there aren't really any space battles or large dramatic confrontations for the most part. It's mostly about people living, sometimes just barely. occamsnailfile fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Mar 4, 2018 |
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Mar 4, 2018 02:04
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General Battuta posted:Best depictions of hell and Satan in SFF, go Job: A Comedy of Justice
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Mar 4, 2018 04:08
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The Hell depicted in the Culture book Surface Detail is pretty horrific, if that counts.
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Mar 4, 2018 04:41
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Hungry posted:Unfortunately there wasn't much of it shown in the first book, but the hints of what the deeper parts of Hell are like in Mark Alder's Son of the Morning had me fascinated.
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Mar 4, 2018 10:42
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Despite a kind of rocky first 50 pages, Seven Surrenders is the exact kind of brain food I was craving. All the intricacies of Palmer's future are just so thrilling to read about. How is The Will to Battle? More of the same?
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Mar 4, 2018 21:16
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MikeJF posted:The Hell depicted in the Culture book Surface Detail is pretty horrific, if that counts. I actually find hell depictions to be the stupidest part of Banks's writing. Just non stop turborape and ultraviolence. It's not very creative at best and stomach turning in the most blasé way at worst. Surface details version is outshined in shittiness only by the villain in The Algebraist.
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Mar 5, 2018 01:36
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cis autodrag posted:I actually find hell depictions to be the stupidest part of Banks's writing. Just non stop turborape and ultraviolence. It's not very creative at best and stomach turning in the most blasé way at worst. Surface details version is outshined in shittiness only by the villain in The Algebraist. I’m pretty sure hell being banal and stupid is absolutely the point.
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Mar 5, 2018 01:42
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cis autodrag posted:I actually find hell depictions to be the stupidest part of Banks's writing. Just non stop turborape and ultraviolence. It's not very creative at best and stomach turning in the most blasé way at worst. Surface details version is outshined in shittiness only by the villain in The Algebraist. I’m pretty sure that Lusiferous was meant to be a pathetic joke. I mean, c’mon, one of the dude’s greatest regrets was giving his flagship brutalist decor because he liked the name, and he ends up getting completely clowned when he ventures into serious galactic politics.
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Mar 5, 2018 01:50
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Darth Walrus posted:I’m pretty sure that Lusiferous was meant to be a pathetic joke. I mean, c’mon, one of the dude’s greatest regrets was giving his flagship brutalist decor because he liked the name, and he ends up getting completely clowned when he ventures into serious galactic politics. Yeah, but we still have to have these sidebars where he is keeping a guys head alive attached to tubes so he can torture gently caress it or he makes a guy's teeth grow through his face and into his heart like all this hypergore actually makes him any more interesting as a villain.
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Mar 5, 2018 02:02
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cis autodrag posted:I actually find hell depictions to be the stupidest part of Banks's writing. Just non stop turborape and ultraviolence. It's not very creative at best and stomach turning in the most blasé way at worst. Surface details version is outshined in shittiness only by the villain in The Algebraist. There's probably something going on with the Surface Detail hells being artifacts created by joyless uncreative fundamentalists, but yeah, while they were certainly unpleasant they didn't really stick with me as eerie or unnerving. Like taking a couple familiar knobs and cranking them up to 11.
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Mar 5, 2018 03:28
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They definitely weren't meant to be eerie and unsettling (and Banks certainly can write that, look at his non-M work), just... over-the-top-visceral and at the same time pathetically sad in a 'jesus christ people really think this is something you deserve for eternity for being slightly imperfect in life'. cis autodrag posted:Yeah, but we still have to have these sidebars where he is keeping a guys head alive attached to tubes so he can torture gently caress it or he makes a guy's teeth grow through his face and into his heart like all this hypergore actually makes him any more interesting as a villain. He thinks it makes it more interesting as a villain. It's part of his lameness. MikeJF fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Mar 5, 2018 |
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Mar 5, 2018 03:59
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MikeJF posted:
I mean, you can make this argument, but you have to make it interesting to read and Banks devotes way too many words to it for the effect.
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Mar 5, 2018 04:21
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apophenium posted:Despite a kind of rocky first 50 pages, Seven Surrenders is the exact kind of brain food I was craving. All the intricacies of Palmer's future are just so thrilling to read about. How is The Will to Battle? More of the same? If the intricacies are your thing you'll like it, my favorite scene in all three books so far might very well be one that takes place at the World Parliament.
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Mar 5, 2018 08:56
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More Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell I can't think of the last time I've read a book with this much...detail? The way it jumps around person to person with seemingly unrelated stores, only to tie them together again later, it's pretty amazing. Also the footnotes. Jonathan Strange: Battle Mage was great, both in Portugal and at the Battle of Waterloo. Was not expecting alternative history like that in this book too. I felt for Norrell when Strange said he was leaving, but then he went right back to being a shithead. Still don't like him. I also find it hard to believe there isn't more to Childermass than what we've seen. And Mr. Segundus and Honeyfoot are the best and I hope they get to open their school, gently caress Norrell. Also, was the BBC series any good? And is it on streaming anywhere in the US?
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Mar 5, 2018 21:57
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I don't remember if it's good or not, but you can buy it from the various video services. Anyway, I finished reading Deathless. Now that's some good stuff.
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Mar 5, 2018 22:54
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It's my favorite BBC series ever. The casting of The Gentleman with the thistle-down hair, Strange, Norrell, Arabella, Childermass, they're all perfect. Stephen and Vinculus come off a bit different and weaker than in the book.
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Mar 5, 2018 22:56
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I enjoyed the first 9 episodes, but I think it failed to stick the landing at the end. I only saw each episode once, maybe I'll give it another shot. The novel is my favourite standalone fantasy book, so I probably owe it to myself to try the show again.
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Mar 5, 2018 23:08
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Childermass was loving perfect, though. Best character in the whole thing (much like in the book).
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Mar 5, 2018 23:10
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I guess I need to read that drat book
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Mar 6, 2018 00:10
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Ccs posted:It's my favorite BBC series ever. The casting of The Gentleman with the thistle-down hair, Strange, Norrell, Arabella, Childermass, they're all perfect. I thought it was fantastic until the last couple of episodes. The changes to plot weakened it there. Steven DBZing the elf to death sucked. Still a good series overall.
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Mar 6, 2018 14:38
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Well he has the earth devour the Gentleman, which is pretty much the same as what happens in the book. They just didn't have the budget to simulate all the natural forces of England coming to destroy him. Which would've looked odd even with proper VFX.
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Mar 6, 2018 23:06
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They didn't have the bits wandering through the elf land where that villainous dude ended up glamoured to be a defending knight either
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Mar 7, 2018 02:08
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Throwing my hat in the ring to say that Jonathan Strange is still the best fantasy book since its release. Maybe The Heroes comes close, in terms of my enjoyment, but Clarke's writing is the best.
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Mar 7, 2018 02:25
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If you are a Taltos fan, Brust has a new urban fantasy novel out now. Apparently his first one in a long time.
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Mar 7, 2018 04:41
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Thanks, I’ll add it to the queue. I’m currently on The Book of Dragon thanks to this thread.
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Mar 7, 2018 16:17
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