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Jan 7, 2021 11:52
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Agile Vector posted:i only remember it because it goes on and on and doesnt he also regen a finger later or something and the whole thing is useless to the plot too? That entire sequence is a prime "should have been cut" example. see also whatever was going on in the hell world vr in surface detail, idk if Banks was living a secret life as an online gore porn writer or something but that was pretty unpleasant edit: or was that Matter?
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Jan 7, 2021 12:53
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That was surface detail, I agree it was a bit excessive, although the concept was interesting and troubling. I do think that it's worthwhile exploring the idea that other forms of being might seem unimaginably cruel compared to us, or see us as being so. Banks also looks at this in some other book where the aliens are predators I think.
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Jan 7, 2021 13:01
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ok so what do yall think of the sex blimp in the hydrogen sonata then
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Jan 7, 2021 15:12
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your mother was in hydrogen sonata?
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Jan 7, 2021 15:15
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infernal machines posted:your mother was in hydrogen sonata?
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Jan 7, 2021 15:16
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infernal machines posted:your mother was in hydrogen sonata? 
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Jan 7, 2021 15:29
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infernal machines posted:your mother was in hydrogen sonata? 
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Jan 7, 2021 16:11
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infernal machines posted:your mother was in hydrogen sonata? 
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Jan 7, 2021 16:23
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Consider Phlebas is the right first book to read and it is Good it is not about the culture but instead about a guy who loving hates the culture so when you read the rest of the series you’re not all Muskian about how everything owns. edit: everything does own but that’s after thoughtful consideration
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Jan 7, 2021 16:36
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infernal machines posted:your mother was in hydrogen sonata? jesus
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Jan 7, 2021 16:40
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the Culture does a lot of CIA-style intervention, I would probably be peace faction or even zetetic elench
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Jan 7, 2021 16:42
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I’m all for genofixed bodies that can swap genitals though.
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Jan 7, 2021 16:42
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Zetetic Elench ftw
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Jan 7, 2021 16:49
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just stay away from any mysterious dark orbs.
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Jan 7, 2021 16:52
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Jan 7, 2021 16:55
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Alternatively, don't stay away. Instead run into it in hyperspace.
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Jan 7, 2021 17:05
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Also what are the specific gripes about State of the Art, the short stories book? I realize there was nothing particularly gripping about any of the stories, but nothing I thought was too egregious. The most memorable story to me out of the bunch is the one with the guy and the suit stranded and wounded on a planet, slowly walking towards the Culture outpost. It's kinda depressing but also kind of "humanizing" (for lack of a better word) for the AI that inhabit suits and other things for the benefit of Culture citizens.
Scope fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Jan 7, 2021 |
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Jan 7, 2021 17:12
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to be fair to the ZE/Culture, the thing did destroy a Mind and gently caress up a bunch of droids as soon as it was discovered, I don’t think they were as wrong to consider it a military-type threat as Banks presents
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Jan 7, 2021 17:14
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the drone that had a memory core flagged off with multiple warning signs is pretty relatable, too me, for reasons
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Jan 7, 2021 17:22
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Scope posted:Also what are the specific gripes about State of the Art, the short stories book? the only one I remember was dudes driving a giant skull or something on a road of bones I think? an interesting visual but nothing happened in the story and it was boring and dumb. I read a handful of others too and "boring and dumb" is what I remember, but not any details or more substantive criticism (sorry)
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Jan 7, 2021 17:27
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Well yeah, most of the stories are pretty boring, but I like them for just some intermission/filler for what else goes on in the universe. The only one I can really remember besides the suit + guy is the story where the they find 70's Earth or some analogue and one of the Culture peeps decides to stay and become "native".
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Jan 7, 2021 18:12
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Also the road in that first story was made of skulls from the people conquered by the city they were traveling towards, except the city was also traveling and leaving the skull road behind it as it moved over more places to conquer. I think that fact was revealed by the animal towing the wagon, who was actually a sentient being and a poet. All inconsequential stuff, just things to fill out the world and let you know the universe is a weird place.
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Jan 7, 2021 18:19
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indigi posted:Zetetic Elench ftw
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Jan 7, 2021 18:20
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lol just read Phelbas and when it got to cannibal island I was like “if this is a movie they are definitely cutting this whole part”
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Jan 7, 2021 18:55
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pointsofdata posted:That was surface detail, I agree it was a bit excessive, although the concept was interesting and troubling. the cruelty of the hells in surface detail is clearly justifiable as it’s part of the point. also they’re described as cruel, and some specific cruelty is spelled out, but iirc the book doesn’t linger on it or go into tons of extra detail the gore in consider phlebas and the algebraist feels both much more superfluous and much more voyeuristic rjmccall fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Jan 7, 2021 |
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Jan 7, 2021 19:07
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rjmccall posted:the cruelty of the hells in surface detail is clearly justifiable as it’s part of the point. also they’re described as cruel, and some specific cruelty is spelled out, but iirc the book doesn’t linger on it or go into tons of extra detail yes the hells have some structural relevance to the book; and tortures depicted i think are a reflection of the society that designs them, also interesting parallels to roko’s basilisk lol. I don’t think cannibal island tells us anything about the protagonist or the world that we don’t already know.
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Jan 7, 2021 19:18
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it felt like an enormous contrived setup for the bit where dude bites his finger off but haha thats a poison finger! owned!!!!
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Jan 7, 2021 19:20
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imo cannibal island is worldbuilding, like "ok humans have every luxury and freedom and some of them will still choose to be hosed up weirdos" kinda like the voluntary totalitarian dictatorship habs in the prefect
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Jan 7, 2021 19:22
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it was probably supposed to be a counterpoint to the people who respond to the impending end of the world by playing hosed up card games
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Jan 7, 2021 19:23
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qirex posted:imo cannibal island is worldbuilding, like "ok humans have every luxury and freedom and some of them will still choose to be hosed up weirdos" kinda like the voluntary totalitarian dictatorship habs in the prefect i feel like the damage game does a better job of that, though
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Jan 7, 2021 19:26
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haveblue posted:it was probably supposed to be a counterpoint to the people who respond to the impending end of the world by playing hosed up card games it seemed like a long term thing pre demolition? the elaborate dentures implies access to precision industrial capacity. who brings a cannibal multitool on a cruise? felt like a enter the dragon riff but instead of a prosthetic hand to fight bruce lee? maybe... people will sacrifice themselves for charismatic leaders despite repulsive horrors?
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Jan 7, 2021 19:34
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qirex posted:imo cannibal island is worldbuilding, like "ok humans have every luxury and freedom and some of them will still choose to be hosed up weirdos" kinda like the voluntary totalitarian dictatorship habs in the prefect this would be OK if it wasn't such a long section, it just drags imho
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Jan 7, 2021 19:41
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the Dra’Azon are super powerful alien train autists
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Jan 7, 2021 19:59
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infernal machines posted:your mother was in hydrogen sonata? oh my god
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Jan 7, 2021 20:32
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the TOR Publishing 2020 'Best of' compilation is available now as a freebie if you want some short stories / new authors to try. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08P9B5P5B/
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Jan 7, 2021 20:45
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indigi posted:the Dra’Azon are super powerful alien train autists
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Jan 7, 2021 20:50
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NoneMoreNegative posted:the TOR Publishing 2020 'Best of' compilation is available now as a freebie if you want some short stories / new authors to try. a whole bunch of these samplers are free on the US site, thanks for the heads up
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Jan 7, 2021 20:54
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indigi posted:the Dra’Azon are super powerful alien train autists
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Jan 7, 2021 20:58
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the hells in Surface Detail were interesting because of course religious fanatics would create their own hells if possible and of course they would outsource them to rear end in a top hat capitalists cannibal island didn’t really add anything to the story but you knew what you were in for if you’d read the wasp factory
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Jan 7, 2021 22:04
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