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I'm reading Cyber Mage and it rocks. Saad Hossain is good as hell and I think the thread is sleeping on him. My theory is people saw 'Bangladeshi author examines Iraq War' and assumed he did dour guilt-inducing post-colonial work. In fact its really fun post-colonial work. He reads sort of like Neal Stephenson but without all of Stephenson's bullshit. Read The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday and go from there.
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Mar 6, 2022 05:12
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I have read books 1-3 of Stormlight archive. I remember that a guy carried bridges at book 1. Then there's this Shallan woman who probably did something. I can't remeber anything else. Is there some 100 word recap about 1-3 or so? Something like in WoT where Satan wants to destroy everything and a bunch of characters go out to a world tour to prevent utter destruction. I guess this is the "shortest" plot recap available: https://www.tor.com/2020/11/11/before-rhythm-of-war-a-quick-and-dirty-recap-of-brandon-sandersons-stormlight-archive/comment-page-1/ Ihmemies fucked around with this message at 08:45 on Mar 6, 2022 |
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Mar 6, 2022 08:42
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Since we're on the subject of Sanderson, I'm looking for some new fantasy to listen to for my commute. I enjoyed Wheel of Time, and I've either read or listened to the audiobook versions of the Mistborn/Stormlight series. I read Tolkien as an adolescent, and some other misc. fantasy novels, so I'm generally pretty easygoing with the genre. I'm not super interested in anything with the Game Of Thrones level of grittiness/darkness, though I did appreciate the 'war is hell' commentary in Stormlight. What should I listen to next? Who's got a good audiobook fantasy trilogy I should dive into next?
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Mar 6, 2022 13:07
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The Shadow of what was Lost by James Islington was enjoyable for that. Never got too dark and gritty, has noticeable Wheel of the Time DNA and the characters aren't complete goofuses typically making bad choices for understandable reasons. I like Sanderson just fine, in my mind he kind of occupies the Dan Brown or James Patterson niche of Fantasy/Sci fi.
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Mar 6, 2022 16:32
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Larry Parrish posted:if we go by sheer volume of books mines probably e.m. foner lmfao. who has written about 30 of what is basically the exact same book, but I'm here for it. they foner e.m. in
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Mar 6, 2022 16:37
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Macdeo Lurjtux posted:I like Sanderson just fine, in my mind he kind of occupies the Dan Brown or James Patterson niche of Fantasy/Sci fi. So Sanderson is basically just writing fantasy flavoured airport novels?
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Mar 6, 2022 17:03
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Hel posted:So Sanderson is basically just writing fantasy flavoured airport novels? he’s the Tom Clancy of fantasy, from the doorstopper length to the obsession with technical details and total humorlessness
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Mar 6, 2022 17:14
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buffalo all day posted:and total humorlessness Wayne and The Lopen are amusing. 
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Mar 6, 2022 17:41
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Just finished KJ Parker's Practical Guide to Conquering the World, his third "Siege" book. Probably my least favorite of the three but still good. Glad I read it. However he reminds me of later Iain M Banks in that he has this ideological belief that story structure and individual agency is a lie that he can't bring himself to tell, so in each of the Siege books (no details, just thematic/tone of ending spoiler) the first 90% is unrealistic story genius hero stuff and then at the last second he kneecaps the protagonist, has a damp squib sort of ending, and is like, hey man that's just life, you know. Which is fair, except why do the first 90% as contrived The Martian poo poo then? Just write literary fiction about professors cheating on their spouses if you want realism, sheesh. Per the Sanderson discussion, of course the answer is those realistic books win awards but no one buys them. Ol' KJ's gotta put food on the table but still look at himself in the mirror and see an artist. I enjoy mocking the hypocrisy here but these really are mostly fun books, just harder to recommend to friends than they should be.
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Mar 6, 2022 18:25
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Can someone who's read 84K by Claire North just very carefully spoil for me if things will work out well or hopefully in the end? Because I'm adoring this book but it's tearing my loving heart out and if the main characters die or fail at the end I think I will cry.
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Mar 6, 2022 18:51
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I just finished up Ten Low which I avoided because of the blurb's comparison to Firefly. It also mentions Dune. It's barely like either one, except it's a sort of sci-fi western taking place on a desert moon. I assumed because of the reference to Firefly it would replace dialogue with quips, but it wasn't so bad. Characters aren't incredible, but it's fairly readable with an interesting dash of quantum immortality without ever saying the words.
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Mar 6, 2022 18:59
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Lex Talionis posted:Just finished KJ Parker's Practical Guide to Conquering the World, his third "Siege" book. Probably my least favorite of the three but still good. Glad I read it. However he reminds me of later Iain M Banks in that he has this ideological belief that story structure and individual agency is a lie that he can't bring himself to tell, so in each of the Siege books (no details, just thematic/tone of ending spoiler) the first 90% is unrealistic story genius hero stuff and then at the last second he kneecaps the protagonist, has a damp squib sort of ending, and is like, hey man that's just life, you know. Which is fair, except why do the first 90% as contrived The Martian poo poo then? Just write literary fiction about professors cheating on their spouses if you want realism, sheesh. Per the Sanderson discussion, of course the answer is those realistic books win awards but no one buys them. Ol' KJ's gotta put food on the table but still look at himself in the mirror and see an artist. I enjoy mocking the hypocrisy here but these really are mostly fun books, just harder to recommend to friends than they should be. Bhodi fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Mar 6, 2022 |
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Mar 6, 2022 19:24
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FHBV4ZX/ Shards of Earth (Final Architecture #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HLPZY6X/ The Shadow of the Gods (Bloodsworn #1) by John Gwynne - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HLQL1B2/ Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QGJDSCK/ Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M Valente - $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QGMHGX8/
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Mar 6, 2022 19:34
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HopperUK posted:Can someone who's read 84K by Claire North just very carefully spoil for me if things will work out well or hopefully in the end? Because I'm adoring this book but it's tearing my loving heart out and if the main characters die or fail at the end I think I will cry. I attempted to read 84K and had to stop, but I did peak at the end and IIRC it is happy-ish.
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Mar 6, 2022 19:57
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pradmer posted:Shards of Earth (Final Architecture #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky - $2.99 If you've enjoyed anything he's done so far, I think this is unambiguously his best work. Pretty good story, actual characters rather than cutouts. Would recommend.
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Mar 6, 2022 20:00
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FPyat posted:I'm rereading Diaspora by Greg Egan and it's still as mind-expandingly impactful as the day I first started reading it. Are there any other examples of fiction writing that delves super-deep into software processes? The only other examples that I can think of are the chapter in Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds where the ship's subroutine examines sensor data, and Crystal Society by Max Harms, written from the perspective of a half-dozen AI processes collectively managing a single robot body. Iain Banks' Excession has a bunch of machine-time sequences that I really loved, particularly the drone POV opening sequence.
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Mar 6, 2022 20:03
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pradmer posted:
I have the Tchaikovsky in the to-read queue, but this one had too many good reviews I've seen all over to resist, even though I'm trying to limit to just books on my wishlist on sale as the queue is getting too big while a project eats most of my limited spare time
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Mar 6, 2022 23:15
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Danhenge posted:If you've enjoyed anything he's done so far, I think this is unambiguously his best work. Pretty good story, actual characters rather than cutouts. Would recommend. Seconded, I picked out up in a sale a while ago and it's an absolute belter.
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Mar 6, 2022 23:42
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Tars Tarkas posted:I have the Tchaikovsky in the to-read queue, but this one had too many good reviews I've seen all over to resist, even though I'm trying to limit to just books on my wishlist on sale as the queue is getting too big while a project eats most of my limited spare time thanks for flagging this, got it for free after my credits! Looking forward to it
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Mar 7, 2022 00:26
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pradmer posted:Shards of Earth (Final Architecture #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky - $2.99 Why is Adrian Tchaikovsky never on sale on Amazon.ca? Getting so sick of this poo poo, I’m dirt poor, and his stuff is barely even available at my library 
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Mar 7, 2022 00:33
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NoneMoreNegative posted:they foner e.m. in 
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Mar 7, 2022 00:34
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buffalo all day posted:thanks for flagging this, got it for free after my credits! Looking forward to it I usually forum search books I'm not familiar with so thanks to DurianGray for posting about it.
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Mar 7, 2022 00:34
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pradmer posted:I usually forum search books I'm not familiar with so thanks to DurianGray for posting about it. Oh yeah, that was in one of my Booklord challenge writeups from January. It somehow feels like forever since I read it. I'll go ahead and crosspost my little synopsis here in case anyone else is interested while it's on sale. (And to be clear with the last sentence, I wasn't saying those elements are a bad thing, mostly just that there's a tiny bit of grit in a few places, but overall the whole thing is very positive/optimistic.): Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki A trans girl runs away from home with not much but her violin. A violin teacher who's running out of time to fulfill a Faustian pact is in need of a new violin student. There's a rogue starship captain/space alien who runs a donut shop? This is a really weird mix of things but it kind of all works together in a sort of Becky Chambers-esque way. I appreciate that Aoki doesn't downplay how lovely it can be to exist as a trans kid in an unaccepting family, but the rest of the story is very fantastic and wish-fulfillment-y with a very tidy (too tidy?) happy ending, so know that's what you're getting if you pick it up.
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Mar 7, 2022 01:46
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pseudorandom name posted:I attempted to read 84K and had to stop, but I did peak at the end and IIRC it is happy-ish. Cheers, friend. The goodreads reviews are hilariously filled with people who can't abide a non-standard writing style and are *furious* about it instead of just, like, not reading the book then.
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Mar 7, 2022 02:29
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https://twitter.com/freezingkiwi/status/1500650830394888193 https://twitter.com/freezingkiwi/status/1500651922243534848
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Mar 7, 2022 03:15
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FPyat posted:I'm rereading Diaspora by Greg Egan and it's still as mind-expandingly impactful as the day I first started reading it. Are there any other examples of fiction writing that delves super-deep into software processes? The only other examples that I can think of are the chapter in Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds where the ship's subroutine examines sensor data, and Crystal Society by Max Harms, written from the perspective of a half-dozen AI processes collectively managing a single robot body.
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Mar 7, 2022 03:23
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StrixNebulosa posted:https://twitter.com/freezingkiwi/status/1500650830394888193 I haven't read these, but I have read some other stuff of hers and it was The Good poo poo.
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Mar 7, 2022 03:26
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FPyat posted:I'm rereading Diaspora by Greg Egan and it's still as mind-expandingly impactful as the day I first started reading it. Are there any other examples of fiction writing that delves super-deep into software processes? The only other examples that I can think of are the chapter in Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds where the ship's subroutine examines sensor data, and Crystal Society by Max Harms, written from the perspective of a half-dozen AI processes collectively managing a single robot body. There a funny bit about this sort of thing in the beginning of Adams' "Mostly Harmless". It's close enough into the beginning that the whole of it is in the sample preview on Amazon, and is a quick little read.
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Mar 7, 2022 03:33
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StrixNebulosa posted:https://twitter.com/freezingkiwi/status/1500650830394888193 Freezing Kiwi has never once steered me wrong with any of his recommendations, so I'm picking this up
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Mar 7, 2022 04:12
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FPyat posted:I'm rereading Diaspora by Greg Egan and it's still as mind-expandingly impactful as the day I first started reading it. Are there any other examples of fiction writing that delves super-deep into software processes? The only other examples that I can think of are the chapter in Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds where the ship's subroutine examines sensor data, and Crystal Society by Max Harms, written from the perspective of a half-dozen AI processes collectively managing a single robot body. The Quantum Thief by Rajaniemi and its sequels, maybe? Sort of?
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Mar 7, 2022 04:21
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Tars Tarkas posted:I first heard of the controversy over where the idea came from when the Scalzi novel hit, in a way it seems quaint because the idea of cute alien pets that may be more than that seems so basic of an idea but like 80 years ago so many of our common tropes were just gleams in some weirdo's eyes. Wherever the idea came from, I really like the Fuzzy series. There are two sequels by Piper, so skip the Scalzi.
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Mar 7, 2022 04:24
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FPyat posted:I'm rereading Diaspora by Greg Egan and it's still as mind-expandingly impactful as the day I first started reading it. Are there any other examples of fiction writing that delves super-deep into software processes? The only other examples that I can think of are the chapter in Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds where the ship's subroutine examines sensor data, and Crystal Society by Max Harms, written from the perspective of a half-dozen AI processes collectively managing a single robot body. one of the POV characters in Slant is an AI
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Mar 7, 2022 04:29
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Nomnom Cookie posted:one of the POV characters in Slant is an AI The first book in the series, Queen of Angels, deals in part with the AI becoming sentient. Both good books, some of Greg Bear's best work in my opinion. There"s also Ai stuff in the linked (though rather slight) novella, Heads. There's lots of AI POV stuff in Ken MacLeod "Corporation Wars" trilogy but I didn't find it a very satisfying story.
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Mar 7, 2022 05:30
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Clark Nova posted:A Woman of the Iron People is good chill anthropological sci-fi now it's on the list AARD VARKMAN posted:Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell might be up your alley. Space Opera that's actually just a gay romance in space trappings. Probably my favorite book of last year slowly realizing that gay romance in space trapping is the great (and just) shadow over the genre. Larry Parrish posted:healer's road, the earthcent series by e. m. foner thank ye DurianGray posted:I think it's been a while since it last came up by maybe the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire? The books are varying levels of interconnected, but they mostly center around a boarding school for kids who were sucked into various portal dimensions and then got sent back to the 'real' world (some by choice, many not, and most want to go back to their portal worlds). They get a little dark sometimes, but I think there's a sort of Chambers-esque humanism underlying them that keeps them mostly optimistic, or at 'worst,' bittersweet (they're also all very quick novellas for what that's worth). I read the first three. not quite the genre I'm looking for here, but very good. tiniestacorn posted:I think you'd really like The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. Also Jaran, by Kate Elliott. bounced off this one a while back, despite the fun metaplot. thanks for the rec tho. Hieronymous Alloy posted:Lawrence watt-evans. very 80s is what i've trained my whole life for
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Mar 7, 2022 10:00
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tokenbrownguy posted:slowly realizing that gay romance in space trapping is the great (and just) shadow over the genre.
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Mar 7, 2022 10:42
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Another Dirty Dish posted:Recommended if you’re into people brooding on dying planets, long walks through dusty abandoned cities, and meditations on the significance of names, both given and chosen. Anymore recs for this kind of sf?
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Mar 7, 2022 14:44
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pepsicake posted:Anymore recs for this kind of sf? Gene Wolfe’s the book of the new sun springs immediately to mind
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Mar 7, 2022 14:46
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tokenbrownguy posted:idk about "hopepunk" or w/e but I could use some more chill and humanistic books ala Becky Chambers I don't think I have anything that hasn't already been recommended (although I'll keep thinking) but I wanted to thank you for the mention of Legends & Lattes, I read it yesterday and it was comfy as hell. E: actually the Tales of Inthya series by Effie Calvin might fit the bill if you're ok with a bunch of romance in your fantasy They all follow the same formula, but the formula is basically "take someone from an abusive shithole past and put them in an environment full of friendly and supportive people and watch things get better for them" ToxicFrog fucked around with this message at 14:51 on Mar 7, 2022 |
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Mar 7, 2022 14:48
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Nomnom Cookie posted:one of the POV characters in Slant is an AI That's a Greg Bear book I hadn't heard of.
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Mar 7, 2022 15:55
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This was mentioned weeks ago, it's a wonderful novel, and it's on sale for $3 on US ebook today The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECE9OD4 Just read the blurb or the sample and if it sounds interesting pick it up, it's great.
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