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pradmer posted:Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear - $1.99 I tried Hull Zero Three a few months ago and was intensely frustrated by it, as it wanted to be very philosophical and thoughtful and it wound up being kind of meandering instead of horror. He's done some great horror before in Queen of Angels, but this... well, I didn't finish it. I closed it and wandered off.
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Apr 29, 2020 00:00
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pradmer posted:Germline (Subterrene War #1) by TC McCarthy - $0.99 Whoa whoa whoa looked up this trilogy on goodreads and it sounds like exactly my jam, has anyone else read it? e: Friend just let me know that his latest, Tyger Burning, was incredibly racist so nevermind 
StrixNebulosa fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Apr 29, 2020 |
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Apr 29, 2020 00:03
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PeterWeller posted:You should give Neuromancer and the rest of the Sprawl trilogy a go at some point simply because they're so seminal to the genre. Also because Neuromancer is just a really cool heist story
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Apr 29, 2020 03:44
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StrixNebulosa posted:Whoa whoa whoa looked up this trilogy on goodreads and it sounds like exactly my jam, has anyone else read it? I've only read Germline by him but I didn't notice anything like that. There could be complaints about how the all female biogenetic army is portrayed, but I didn't find it too bad. If you have forum search there's quite a few discussions on the book in threads past.
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Apr 29, 2020 04:09
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freebooter posted:Also because Neuromancer is just a really cool heist story And also because Count Zero is just two really cool heist stories in one.
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Apr 29, 2020 04:27
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I know 10% of you guys go feral when I mention Robert Jackson Bennett, but if you liked Foundryside and want more action fantasy fun in your life, Shorefall is out and it's good. Even got misty-eyed at a couple of character send-offs. If he follows through on some of the stuff set up in the final act, the next book promises to be maximally sapphic, and that's reason enough for me to keep reading.
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Apr 29, 2020 06:59
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Woohoo! New Jeff Strand is out! The Odds is the title. Also, NEW STEPHEN BLACKMOORE! Ghost Money (book #5 in the Eric Carter series) has been released!
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Apr 29, 2020 07:19
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tiniestacorn posted:I know 10% of you guys go feral when I mention Robert Jackson Bennett, but if you liked Foundryside and want more action fantasy fun in your life, Shorefall is out and it's good. Even got misty-eyed at a couple of character send-offs. If he follows through on some of the stuff set up in the final act, the next book promises to be maximally sapphic, and that's reason enough for me to keep reading. Oh ty for the reminder, totally missed this releasing!
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Apr 29, 2020 09:22
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StrixNebulosa posted:Whoa whoa whoa looked up this trilogy on goodreads and it sounds like exactly my jam, has anyone else read it? It's really grim. heart of darkness/apocalypse now in a brutal near future war. I reread it a few months ago and it was a bit of a slog. It's good but a difficult read sometimes. The sequels dial up the action but weren't as good.
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Apr 29, 2020 10:13
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Finished The Stand. I'll probably end up writing a super long review about it, but long story short, I really liked it - probably even more than when I read it as a teenager. I don't think it's his actual most competently written work - that probably goes to The Mist, Pet Sematary or some of the early Dark Tower books - but I can definitely see why a lot of people consider it his "best" book. It's weird, self-indulgent, naively racist, very much a book of two distinct halves, and ends with an unashamed deus ex machina... but it's also undeniably an epic and a classic. I actually feel a bit sad to have finished it!
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Apr 29, 2020 10:45
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I had a really heartening email from Mark L Van Name, the guy behind the Jon and Lobo novels - 
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Apr 29, 2020 11:53
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StrixNebulosa posted:Whoa whoa whoa looked up this trilogy on goodreads and it sounds like exactly my jam, has anyone else read it? I don't remember anything overtly horrible about Germline, outside of the amazonian super soldiers and the try-hard Hunter S. Thompson impression. I wonder what may have changed.... Paperback, 336 pages Published July 2nd 2019 by Baen Oh.
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Apr 29, 2020 17:31
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freebooter posted:Finished The Stand. I'll probably end up writing a super long review about it, but long story short, I really liked it - probably even more than when I read it as a teenager. I don't think it's his actual most competently written work - that probably goes to The Mist, Pet Sematary or some of the early Dark Tower books - but I can definitely see why a lot of people consider it his "best" book. It's weird, self-indulgent, naively racist, very much a book of two distinct halves, and ends with an unashamed deus ex machina... but it's also undeniably an epic and a classic. I actually feel a bit sad to have finished it! It's definitely my favorite novel by King, but that may be simply because I prefer apocalyptic stuff to spooky stuff. My one issue with the book (aside from the scene we previously mentioned) is what you said that it's "very much a book of two distinct halves." The top half is so indulgent and languidly paced. The bottom half is a headlong rush into the finale. And I always feel like it fails to live up to the promise of the first half, which leaves me sad upon finishing the book.
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Apr 29, 2020 17:33
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General Battuta posted:Promo for the (sadly delayed) launch of book 3, I expect. Tor’s current strategy is to promote book 1 in a series hard. I tried to pre-order this, but couldn't. Would this be because of the launch delay, or just publishing weirdness?
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Apr 29, 2020 17:38
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Ninurta posted:I don't remember anything overtly horrible about Germline, outside of the amazonian super soldiers and the try-hard Hunter S. Thompson impression. I wonder what may have changed.... As much good will as I have towards Baen, their outright support of insanely racist shitheads has been bad. Very bad. Jesus christ some of their more recent titles.
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Apr 29, 2020 17:39
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I just finished book 3 of Michelle Sagara's Elantra books. While I like a lot of the setting, I'd prefer more street cop in the unseelie/dragon court, and less of the divinely guided and plot armored chosen one that the books seem to be highlighting. I'm legit curious how she can keep escalating things for the 12 remaining books in the series.
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Apr 29, 2020 18:30
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Yeah, same here. The books are still fun, but I feel they're at their strongest when she's being a cop as opposed to a generic fantasy hero. I've still got book 4 on my Kindle but it's probably going to take a couple months to return to the series.
anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Apr 29, 2020 |
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Apr 29, 2020 18:40
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Safety Biscuits posted:I tried to pre-order this, but couldn't. Would this be because of the launch delay, or just publishing weirdness? Are you US or somewhere else? Might be a regional thing...
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Apr 29, 2020 18:45
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bagrada posted:I just finished book 3 of Michelle Sagara's Elantra books. While I like a lot of the setting, I'd prefer more street cop in the unseelie/dragon court, and less of the divinely guided and plot armored chosen one that the books seem to be highlighting. I'm legit curious how she can keep escalating things for the 12 remaining books in the series. I'm in the middle of book 7 right now and you are in for multiple treats. I mean it continues to highlight Kaylin the Chosen's magical adventures but drat if it isn't satisfying, and it keeps mixing in the street cop stuff. Quick non-spoilery cool things: - The Arkon becoming more of an important character - The ongoing multi-book investigation into a corruption scandal in the highest reaches of power - Kaylin continuing to evolve from dumb-but-cute mascot to actually competent mover and shaker - The way the author brings back plot elements from earlier books to weave more complicated fantasy problems; i.e. all the stuff with Barrani names and how they get them? That's going to be relevant again.
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Apr 29, 2020 18:45
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anilEhilated posted:Yeah, same here. The books are still fun, but I feel they're at their strongest when she's being a cop as opposed to a generic fantasy hero. I've still got book 4 on my Kindle but it's probably going to take a couple months to return to the series. imho, book 3 is the weakest of the series. I love the Tha'lani to bits, but that plot is very fantasy nonsense. "go down a well and find the exact magical being you want who can solve the problem" yeah sure. Fortunately book 4 is a return to form, and 5 shakes things up in a neat way. I'm biting my tongue here so I don't give you spoilers or summaries, just - please keep reading, I had a similar lull after 3 but plowed on and it was worth it.
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Apr 29, 2020 18:50
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I'll keep at it. I've got two more in the current pack of 3 ebook "boxed set", and then will go from there. I figured she'd either have to slow down just a tad with some multi book storylines, or go wide and explore more of the world. I've had more time to read lately but there's also a lot more sales so my list isn't getting any shorter.
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Apr 29, 2020 18:51
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bagrada posted:I'll keep at it. I've got two more in the current pack of 3 ebook "boxed set", and then will go from there. I figured she'd either have to slow down just a tad with some multi book storylines, or go wide and explore more of the world. There is no slowing down, there is only escalation! And yeah same, you would think with me reading like a hundred books a year (that was last year) I'd have put a dent in my backlog but ahahahah NOPE. There is always more to read.
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Apr 29, 2020 18:56
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DACK FAYDEN posted:Wasn't there a goon who got like 100 pages in expecting spaceships? Or was it one of the early reviews, though sadly not the "social justice Middle Earth" or "alternate universe where women are better than men at math" ones? AlternateNu posted:I read Stand on Zanzibar a few weeks ago and am in the middle of The Sheep Look Up. I love Brunner's sociological interjections which flesh out the world without being exposition dumps. Also, he's probably the most prescient author I've ever read considering how hosed up our world is right now. Just for the spectacle of Gunn's portrait of future colleges, read KAMPUS (1977) by James E Gunn, which looks into the near future of 1984. (Note that Gunn was a college professor when he wrote KAMPUS, which adds to the whimsy/wtf-ness factor of KAMPUS immensely). Or try some of the shorter stories of M John Harrison, along with Harrison's 1971 The Committed Men (full bore global warming) and 2002 Light novels. Or try the first and 3rd books of Ken MacLeod's Fall Revolution series, which would be, respectively, The Star Fraction & the Cassini Division. Everything else by MacLeod can be safely skipped. Star Fraction's strongest piece is probably the crawl through a ruined balkanized London. rocode posted:Just got the email for this! The best book that handles that kind of plot twist is probably Mission of Gravity. The first two paragraphs in it have you thinking it's some mediocre fantasy adventure story involving a ship. Then the third paragraph low-key mentions accidents happening more and more because everyone currently weighs a mere 2.5 pounds when they usually weigh 550 pounds back home. Then the fourth paragraph makes it apparent/obvious everyone in the crew is non-humanoid. Then the sixth paragraph mentions methane rain, and some kind of alien entity called the The Flyer being nearby. And it keeps expanding and morphing from there. It helps that the Flyers aka humans are mere supporting characters that quickly gently caress off physically and only give advice via radio. And that the captain/main character of the story has their own reasons for helping out the Flyers. Plus there's a sequel to Mission of Gravity set on another planet. Hal Clement had the rare gift of teaching you science while telling a story that most authors lack. If you enjoy anything by KSR(Kim Stanley Robinson), Mission of Gravity should be on your reading list.
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Apr 29, 2020 19:11
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The Legend of Eli Monpress by by Rachel Aaron - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058ECNXU First 3 books of the 5 book series.
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Apr 29, 2020 22:27
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AlternateNu posted:I read Stand on Zanzibar a few weeks ago and am in the middle of The Sheep Look Up. I love Brunner's sociological interjections which flesh out the world without being exposition dumps. Also, he's probably the most prescient author I've ever read considering how hosed up our world is right now. 334 by Thomas M. Disch might be exactly what you are looking for
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Apr 29, 2020 23:42
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pradmer posted:The Legend of Eli Monpress by by Rachel Aaron - $2.99 Surprisingly good series. Really loved it.
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Apr 30, 2020 00:22
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StrixNebulosa posted:As much good will as I have towards Baen, their outright support of insanely racist shitheads has been bad. Very bad. Jesus christ some of their more recent titles. I still visit their book listings every few months to see if there's anything worth reading, but checking my Kindle log I haven't purchased any of their books since 2017, Frank Chadwick's Chain of Command. He published a sequel earlier this year so I might pick it up for Quarantine reading. Best of all it has a classic Baen cover. Birdman is reading the Baen Bar and is not pleased at all. 
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Apr 30, 2020 00:41
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Ninurta posted:I still visit their book listings every few months to see if there's anything worth reading, but checking my Kindle log I haven't purchased any of their books since 2017, Frank Chadwick's Chain of Command. He published a sequel earlier this year so I might pick it up for Quarantine reading. Best of all it has a classic Baen cover. holy poo poo i need to own that in hardback so I can make a poster out of the cover
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Apr 30, 2020 00:48
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Ninurta posted:Birdman is reading the Baen Bar and is not pleased at all. 
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Apr 30, 2020 01:16
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Ninurta posted:I still visit their book listings every few months to see if there's anything worth reading, but checking my Kindle log I haven't purchased any of their books since 2017, Frank Chadwick's Chain of Command. He published a sequel earlier this year so I might pick it up for Quarantine reading. Best of all it has a classic Baen cover.
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Apr 30, 2020 01:41
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General Battuta posted:Are you US or somewhere else? Might be a regional thing... UK, so that might be it.
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Apr 30, 2020 02:07
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Is... is that a Superman symbol?
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Apr 30, 2020 04:36
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Safety Biscuits posted:UK, so that might be it. I'm in the UK too and had issues with ordering Monster on Kindle, it didn't show up to buy until a couple of weeks after the US release.
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Apr 30, 2020 07:54
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quantumfoam posted:The best book that handles that kind of plot twist is probably Mission of Gravity. Only a Goon would need to reach the next paragraph before realising that the people who weigh 550lbs aren't human.
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Apr 30, 2020 09:19
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Jedit posted:Only a Goon would need to reach the next paragraph before realising that the people who weigh 550lbs aren't human.
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Apr 30, 2020 12:22
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Nothing civilized about the metric system.
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Apr 30, 2020 12:36
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fez_machine posted:334 by Thomas M. Disch might be exactly what you are looking for for someone who wants a book about science fiction, i'd really recommend his book 'the dreams our stuff is made of' it won a Hugo in the late 90s iirc.
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Apr 30, 2020 13:13
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Gnoman posted:Nothing civilized about the metric system. Besides being the central measuring unit in science and all civilized countries.
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Apr 30, 2020 13:22
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What kind of adult that can read sci-fi written in English wouldn't know that 550lbs is a lot? I could accept a kid or translation though.
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Apr 30, 2020 16:50
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Eh, that one sentence makes it very clear that it's a setting with widely variable gravity; but would equally well match some numbers where "home" is at say three times Earth-normal gravity and the region currently being exploded is close to microgravity.
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Apr 30, 2020 17:47
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