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NoNostalgia4Grover posted:One of the major weaknesses in Ninefox Gambit was Yoon Ha Lee's decision to put all character development + backstory for the main character Jedao into the last 50 pages of the book. That's fair. I think part of it was that the trilogy as a whole was written in a big lump over a very long period. I was reading Yoon's Dreamwidth for some time before they finally got published, and it was pretty obvious he had a hugely strong image of these characters floating around in his head and in various drafts, and I suspect that some of that made it difficult for him to judge how much he needed to explicitly show the readers.
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Feb 6, 2019 18:22
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Raven Strategem was my favorite. It's where the main action goes down and you get the full intersection of calendrical heresy, empire-level warfare, and horrible personal trauma. Ninefox is a prelude and Revenant is about the consequences and 'final confrontation', but Raven is peak Hexarchate for me.
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Feb 6, 2019 21:43
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Major Isoor posted:Alright alright guys, no need to twist my arm! A couple of weeks? Do you live inside a volcano or are you on the ISS?
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Feb 6, 2019 22:39
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I bought Vita Nostra, so I'll see how that goes in a couple of weeks, when it arrives
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XBenedict posted:A couple of weeks? Do you live inside a volcano or are you on the ISS? Saying as a native of that.
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Feb 6, 2019 22:44
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XBenedict posted:A couple of weeks? Do you live inside a volcano or are you on the ISS? Australia, so almost as far!  (At least, as far as BookDepository and many other sites are concerned)
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Feb 6, 2019 22:56
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Started reading Foundation. This is just A Canticle for Liebowitz for historical materialists right
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Feb 7, 2019 18:04
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So I finished the new Alastair Reynolds book, Shadow Captain (sequel to Revenger). I honestly almost didn't finish it and I've pretty much liked everything else he wrote. There's some cool pay-off in a couple larger themes to the story that I really hope he covers eventually like the quoins and the actual reason behind the weird occupation cycle but holy hell the entire middle 80% of the book was so, so boring. It reminded me of the last Star Wars movie where there's essentially a boring-rear end sidequest to the Casino planet. Whatever though I'll keep throwing money his way 
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Feb 7, 2019 20:47
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C.M. Kruger posted:Kel are basically Diet Adeptus Astartes. Ooh, ooh! Adeptus Aspartame I haven't quite finished Revenant Gun, but I've enjoyed the whole series. Mostly because it's just so weird and different from any other mil-SF. I did just finish Vigilance and boy, was that depressing.
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Feb 7, 2019 21:02
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Man, Gnomon was great. I just wanted to thank everyone who recommended it.
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Feb 7, 2019 21:21
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So the new Safehold book wasn't what I was expecting, I was expecting like some large timeskip or maybe like a high speed push to get to the next era of the conflict with the Gheba or whatever, not the story just continuing where it left off, at the same glacial pace, only this time with the added bonus of not really having a threat. It's basically bad webnovel tier where the protagonist has accomplished their goals is stupidly overpowered and the story just keeps going for some reason instead of stopping. Why was this book written? It can't just be money cause he could be written a zillion other things and money would happen. Basically even if you a weird sicko, like me, who enjoys Weber and the Safehold series, don't read this one...it's real bad...or I guess worse than bad, it's really bland.
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Feb 7, 2019 21:24
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Less Fat Luke posted:So I finished the new Alastair Reynolds book, Shadow Captain (sequel to Revenger). I honestly almost didn't finish it and I've pretty much liked everything else he wrote. There's some cool pay-off in a couple larger themes to the story that I really hope he covers eventually like the quoins and the actual reason behind the weird occupation cycle but holy hell the entire middle 80% of the book was so, so boring. It reminded me of the last Star Wars movie where there's essentially a boring-rear end sidequest to the Casino planet. Whatever though I'll keep throwing money his way I'm real split on Reynolds, hes def one of those "read until it starts boring you" writers. I liked Revation Space and Chasm City but found the third one awful boring and stopped the series after dragging through it. The one novella I read (Slow Bullets) was thoroughly mediocre. House of Suns will always be cool tho.
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Feb 7, 2019 21:57
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Keep getting Reynold's House of Suns story + events mixed up with the original novella Thousandth Night. Both are good.
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Feb 7, 2019 22:36
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Finished Kingdom of Copper, the sequel to City of Brass. There is no kingdom or copper mentioned at any point of the whole thing and it very much suffers from being a middle part of a trilogy but it's fast, likeable and poo poo Actually Happens. It also managed to hit the same "I don't want the book to end yet" vibe the first one had again. Goddamnit, Chakraborty, write faster.
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Feb 7, 2019 22:59
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Phanatic posted:Man, Gnomon was great. I just wanted to thank everyone who recommended it. Hell yeah.
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Feb 8, 2019 10:29
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Less Fat Luke posted:So I finished the new Alastair Reynolds book, Shadow Captain (sequel to Revenger). I honestly almost didn't finish it and I've pretty much liked everything else he wrote. There's some cool pay-off in a couple larger themes to the story that I really hope he covers eventually like the quoins and the actual reason behind the weird occupation cycle but holy hell the entire middle 80% of the book was so, so boring. It reminded me of the last Star Wars movie where there's essentially a boring-rear end sidequest to the Casino planet. Whatever though I'll keep throwing money his way Yeah, I'm 55% through and kinda struggling. I really like the overall setting with regards to the Worlds, Baubles and Occupations around the dying sun, but at the same time kinda dislike the whole age of sail but in space 'low tech' thing that's going on. The beginning suggested that this book was really going to delve into the mysteries of the setting, but going by the current pace and events, I'm guessing at most it's going to end with a tease that things will get interesting in the next book.
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Feb 8, 2019 12:12
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Junkenstein posted:Yeah, I'm 55% through and kinda struggling. I really like the overall setting with regards to the Worlds, Baubles and Occupations around the dying sun, but at the same time kinda dislike the whole age of sail but in space 'low tech' thing that's going on. The beginning suggested that this book was really going to delve into the mysteries of the setting, but going by the current pace and events, I'm guessing at most it's going to end with a tease that things will get interesting in the next book. My overall feeling about the book was that a lot of the cool concepts from book 1 was not elaborated on and instead the story was more of a generic thriller. Noteworthy is that the parts of the story that involved baubles, ie one of the core concepts in the setting, was also the most interesting. Also obviously a middle book in a trilogy, unfortunately.
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Feb 8, 2019 16:15
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https://twitter.com/lazygamereviews/status/1093894628011593728 Now this is cool!
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Feb 8, 2019 16:53
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anilEhilated posted:I don't normally go for milSF but this is making me seriously considering actually getting this book. It's good milSF, good intrigue, and as a bonus is a great example of "a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".
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Feb 8, 2019 17:15
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Less Fat Luke posted:So I finished the new Alastair Reynolds book, Shadow Captain (sequel to Revenger). I honestly almost didn't finish it and I've pretty much liked everything else he wrote. There's some cool pay-off in a couple larger themes to the story that I really hope he covers eventually like the quoins and the actual reason behind the weird occupation cycle but holy hell the entire middle 80% of the book was so, so boring. It reminded me of the last Star Wars movie where there's essentially a boring-rear end sidequest to the Casino planet. Whatever though I'll keep throwing money his way I thought it was just ok, and suffered for having a couple of the stock Reynolds characters. (creepy doctor doing creepy things, someone in deep undercover having taken over someone else's identity)
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Feb 8, 2019 19:23
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I think I've read about a half dozen different sci-fi novels by different authors which established that in the future marriage is a short-term renewable contract. I'm sure that it was very clever the first time somebody did it, but the next book I read that has that gets flung out the window.
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Feb 9, 2019 20:25
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Gripweed posted:I'm sure that it was very clever the first time somebody did it, but the next book I read that has that gets flung out the window. Just like the spouse at the end of the contract.
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Feb 9, 2019 20:39
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Meanwhile in fantasy, all contracts are forms of marriage!
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Feb 9, 2019 22:32
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Gripweed posted:I think I've read about a half dozen different sci-fi novels by different authors which established that in the future marriage is a short-term renewable contract. You just read Cherryh's Foreigner, huh?
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Feb 9, 2019 22:37
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StrixNebulosa posted:You just read Cherryh's Foreigner, huh? Nature's End
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Feb 9, 2019 22:44
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I have a question about gloves. In the culture of both Nine Fox Gambit and the Ancillary Justice series, having bare hands is a sartorial taboo. Is this something with its roots in a RL culture, or just a thing that two different authors did coincidentally?
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Feb 9, 2019 22:51
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Angrymog posted:I have a question about gloves. Well, there was the entirety of the 1800s, for a start.
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Feb 10, 2019 00:52
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Angrymog posted:I have a question about gloves. Sanderson does it with safehands in the Stormlight Doorstops, its just an easy weird thing to throw in for background flavor.
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Feb 10, 2019 01:27
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Angrymog posted:I have a question about gloves. Also a minor thing in Ann Leckie's Ancillary series. Kind of like wearing hats/not wearing hats was a major social faux pas until the 1950s.
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Feb 10, 2019 02:23
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NoNostalgia4Grover posted:Also a minor thing in Ann Leckie's Ancillary series. That's one of the two series Angrymog noted. And yeah it was pure coincidence between those two, there wasn't really any cross-pollination between the two universes creatively.
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Feb 10, 2019 02:24
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anilEhilated posted:Finished Kingdom of Copper, the sequel to City of Brass. There is no kingdom or copper mentioned at any point of the whole thing and it very much suffers from being a middle part of a trilogy but it's fast, likeable and poo poo Actually Happens. It also managed to hit the same "I don't want the book to end yet" vibe the first one had again. I finished this one lately too, though I didn't feel as much that it suffered from "middle book" because, as mentioned, a lot of poo poo happens, the characters pursue their various goals and then the ending sets up a new status quo for the third book which should be very interesting. It resolves some of what I felt were flaws in Brass, namely the other female characters get some screen time, and the pacing is a lot better. The ending was built up a lot more and didn't feel like such an abrupt left turn. I'm looking forward to the third part, whenever it comes around. I'll have to content myself with her savagely rewriting classic Arabian Knights stories in the meanwhile.
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Feb 10, 2019 03:22
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General Battuta posted:That's one of the two series Angrymog noted. Crap. Meant to say Revelation Space + Schismatrix, where arm-length gloves were used as both fashion accessory/low-key way to hide mild cyborgization.
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Feb 10, 2019 04:08
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I imagine gloves or bare hands have been the subject of social rules since essentially as soon as gloves became something everyone could have. The reason I say this is that a lot of taboos tend to develop around things relating to cleanliness and health - see sex and food, the two easiest ways to get ill. Taboos around clothing may develop because of cleanliness in certain environments. Notice how in cultures with unclean urban environments taboos around footwear are so strong?
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Feb 10, 2019 05:35
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anilEhilated posted:Finished Kingdom of Copper, the sequel to City of Brass.
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Feb 10, 2019 05:57
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A human heart posted:can't wait for the climatic conclusion: empire of manganese prequel Tower of Tungsten.
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Feb 10, 2019 06:01
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So after skimming a bunch of light novels I can safely feel confident in saying they're likely all crap. I did find two that were interesting in concept and wonder if anyone knows of something similar. The first was Tanya the Evil, which I may actually try and read despite all the side problems, which seems to basically be World War 1 with magic. Anyone know of any alt history stories of artillery duels with fireballs? Second was Overlord, the redeeming quality of interest in this one was the idea of a super powered protagonist/group that was unabashedly overpowered. No dues ex machina, no somehow it always works out after a contrived struggle, or opponent who just so happens to also be powerful enough, just straight up stronger than everyone else. Granted I can't imagine how you can make a long narrative out of that but I'd like to read something similar that doesn't have supporting characters who don't exist to as either fan service for anime/manga adaptions and comic relief even if it's just a single book or set of short stories.
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Feb 10, 2019 06:15
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nessin posted:So after skimming a bunch of light novels I can safely feel confident in saying they're likely all crap. I did find two that were interesting in concept and wonder if anyone knows of something similar. The Black Company.  And Malazan apparently but I've only read a bit of the first book.More seriously though the only stuff in the handful of "fantastic WWI" stories I've read has trended more towards the non-magical side. The City of Stairs series is great but is basically set in c1890-1900 fantasyland where the enslaved figured out how to kill the gods of their oppressors with technology so only a few magical remnants are still kicking around in a rapidly modernizing world, and form some of the pivot points for the plot. The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis is essentially non-fantastic military fiction with some steampunk elements in another world. Mary Robinette Kowal has a book about a Medium doing ghost seances to get intel for the allies during actual WWI which sounded quite interesting, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. nessin posted:Second was Overlord, the redeeming quality of interest in this one was the idea of a super powered protagonist/group that was unabashedly overpowered. No dues ex machina, no somehow it always works out after a contrived struggle, or opponent who just so happens to also be powerful enough, just straight up stronger than everyone else. Granted I can't imagine how you can make a long narrative out of that but I'd like to read something similar that doesn't have supporting characters who don't exist to as either fan service for anime/manga adaptions and comic relief even if it's just a single book or set of short stories. I think maybe my previous warning wasn't pointed enough, you're best off ignoring any fantasy RPG/MMO isekai stuff, it's almost universally bad. Konosuba is one of the few exceptions because it is essentially a Always Sunny/Arrested Development style comedy about people ruining things for themselves through their own avarice.
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Feb 10, 2019 10:12
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nessin posted:The first was Tanya the Evil, which I may actually try and read despite all the side problems, which seems to basically be World War 1 with magic. Anyone know of any alt history stories of artillery duels with fireballs? Storm of Iron isn't alt-history, but it is very WW1 with magic. The central conflict is a big trench warfare siege, and there's Daemons and techno-cults and whatnot involved.
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Feb 10, 2019 14:36
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How about WWI with vampires? Because Bloody Red Baron is a lot of fun.
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Feb 10, 2019 14:51
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anilEhilated posted:How about WWI with vampires? Because Bloody Red Baron is a lot of fun. Kim Newman is pretty decent. Sometimes his pop-culture insertions into the Dracula mythos work, sometimes they just make you stare. Charlie's unDead Angels in the third Anno Dracula book for example. Really enjoyed Kim Newman's Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles story collection though.
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Feb 10, 2019 15:03
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nessin posted:So after skimming a bunch of light novels I can safely feel confident in saying they're likely all crap. I did find two that were interesting in concept and wonder if anyone knows of something similar. The ones that come immediately to mind are the Age of Unreason books by Gregory Keyes (1700s) and The Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis (WW2). Replace fireballs with dragons and you've also got the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik (1800s).
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Feb 10, 2019 15:14
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