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Most Baen covers look distinctly different for a reason and depending on your tastes it's either a sign of hey pick this up and check it out, or the equivalent of a venomous snake telling you to stay away. I generally find book cover has basically zero relationship with book quality, with the exception of indie books that are obviously did it up in 10 minutes in photoshop. I still maintain this was one of the best covers I have ever seen because it caught my attention like no other. 
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Dec 13, 2017 16:13
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ShinsoBEAM! posted:Most Baen covers look distinctly different for a reason and depending on your tastes it's either a sign of hey pick this up and check it out, or the equivalent of a venomous snake telling you to stay away. I generally find book cover has basically zero relationship with book quality, with the exception of indie books that are obviously did it up in 10 minutes in photoshop. Please tell me he rides that steer like a horse, and the blue saber-tooth is his faithful animal companion.
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Dec 13, 2017 16:15
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Proteus Jones posted:Please tell me he rides that steer like a horse, and the blue saber-tooth is his faithful animal companion. I have no idea, this is like some weird side story in some long series I got the first book and the blue cat people things were the bad guys so I find that doubtful it's his animal companion. The book wasn't very good.
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Dec 13, 2017 16:52
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Proteus Jones posted:Please tell me he rides that steer like a horse, and the blue saber-tooth is his faithful animal companion. From the cover I get more of a vibe that the steer is riding the saber-tooth, while he walks in his power exoskeleton I think the steer should be wearing a cowboy hat to make it complete, though
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Dec 13, 2017 19:41
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ShinsoBEAM! posted:The book wasn't very good.
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Dec 13, 2017 19:55
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USMC_Karl posted:I'm basically finished with The Stupidest Angel and, while it has absolutely no redeeming value and is basically a slapstick comedy in book form, am in love. Are the rest of his books similar? I'm trying not to spend money, but I could see myself sliding down a very dark hole full of stupid books. Basically, yes.
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Dec 13, 2017 21:34
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USMC_Karl posted:I'm basically finished with The Stupidest Angel and, while it has absolutely no redeeming value and is basically a slapstick comedy in book form, am in love. Are the rest of his books similar? I'm trying not to spend money, but I could see myself sliding down a very dark hole full of stupid books. It's the best Moore I've read but yeah they're all like that to one degree or another. In a similar vein, I'd suggest Gil's All-Fright Diner by Lee Martinez.
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Dec 13, 2017 21:38
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:In a similar vein, I'd suggest Gil's All-Fright Diner by Lee Martinez. Also Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain
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Dec 13, 2017 22:24
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Neurosis posted:that looks dreadful. It's quite restrained for most Baen covers, the composition is good and Manly Chin doesn't look like he escaped from renders from a mid 90s FMV video game. Comparatively:   ShinsoBEAM! posted:Most Baen covers look distinctly different for a reason and depending on your tastes it's either a sign of hey pick this up and check it out, or the equivalent of a venomous snake telling you to stay away. I generally find book cover has basically zero relationship with book quality, with the exception of indie books that are obviously did it up in 10 minutes in photoshop. Dirk "Starchaser" Koban readied his power armor and his best stetson hat. The tri-planet space cattle roundup was only a week away and felidon cattle rustlers were sure to try and steal the prize bull's gene sequence for themselves before it was delivered to the gene-vault on New Texas, which would ruin the space ranch's chances to pay off Pa's debts to the space trucker guild.
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Dec 14, 2017 03:39
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C.M. Kruger posted:Dirk "Starchaser" Koban readied his power armor and his best stetson hat. The tri-planet space cattle roundup was only a week away and felidon cattle rustlers were sure to try and steal the prize bull's gene sequence for themselves before it was delivered to the gene-vault on New Texas, which would ruin the space ranch's chances to pay off Pa's debts to the space trucker guild. I'd read it.
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Dec 14, 2017 03:56
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C.M. Kruger posted:Dirk "Starchaser" Koban readied his power armor and his best stetson hat. The tri-planet space cattle roundup was only a week away and felidon cattle rustlers were sure to try and steal the prize bull's gene sequence for themselves before it was delivered to the gene-vault on New Texas, which would ruin the space ranch's chances to pay off Pa's debts to the space trucker guild. Well at least tell us how it ends.
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Dec 14, 2017 04:49
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John Ringo claws that catch, Travis S Taylor.
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Dec 14, 2017 08:00
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Run, Travis!
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Dec 14, 2017 08:53
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ShinsoBEAM! posted:Most Baen covers look distinctly different for a reason and depending on your tastes it's either a sign of hey pick this up and check it out, or the equivalent of a venomous snake telling you to stay away. I generally find book cover has basically zero relationship with book quality, with the exception of indie books that are obviously did it up in 10 minutes in photoshop. Pounded in the butt by terrible sci-fi
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Dec 14, 2017 09:42
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So Ninefox Gambit was decent, but hardly exceptional. Still worth reading. It was basically like reading a worse version of Use of Weapons in terms of plot and execution. The turnaround in the latter stage of the book was kinda expected. Can't say I have much inclination to continue with the series. The whole thing about calendrical warfare is another case of "oh, lets come up with a cool gimmick in terms of world building and then skimp on the storyline" which most fantasy/scifi authors are culpable of. Making the protagonist lesbian felt more like "oh, let us make the protagonist special in so many ways" and could have been done better. There was a number of things that could have used more elaboration or could have been cut, since they didn't add much to the story but more served as a "look at this cool stuff".
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Dec 14, 2017 10:23
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The author did not make her a lesbian to make her "special".
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Dec 14, 2017 12:49
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To address the rest of your points, yeah. It's good sci-fi and I enjoyed it, but the twist was pretty obvious and not enough was done with the cool stuff in the setting. I really dug how cool the setting was - the servitors, the fencing, everything - but the book was so fixated on the military stuff it felt like it missed an opportunity. That said, I liked the writing and characters enough to want to read the next one.
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Dec 14, 2017 12:57
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 When I think Baen covers I think stuff like this:   Which isn't going to win any awards, but is competently executed, comprehensible, and at least has some relation to the content of the book. Has Baen really gone that far downhill since Jim Baen died?
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Dec 14, 2017 13:09
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Baen and Breitbart have certain parallels. Who is the Steve Bannon of sci-fi?
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Dec 14, 2017 13:14
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Larry Correia, probably.
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Dec 14, 2017 13:22
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StrixNebulosa posted:To address the rest of your points, yeah. It's good sci-fi and I enjoyed it, but the twist was pretty obvious and not enough was done with the cool stuff in the setting. I really dug how cool the setting was - the servitors, the fencing, everything - but the book was so fixated on the military stuff it felt like it missed an opportunity. The setting had a bunch of stuff, that as you say, wasn't elaborated upon since it fixated on the military stuff. The protagonist being a lesbian belongs in that category, since for most of the book she was completely asexual. I guess that is some form of progress. As for cool stuff, with the exception of the calendrical warfare, most of the other stuff have been done before and better by other authors. Why I have no major interest in continuing the story is basically due to the flatness of the characters. The main protagonist, her shadow were all pretty flat and the only interesting and fun character gets killed in the last chapter.
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Dec 14, 2017 13:23
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Clearly a fighter jet for hobbits.
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Dec 14, 2017 14:41
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Khizan posted:Larry Correia, probably. Clark Nova posted:Clearly a fighter jet for hobbits.
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Dec 14, 2017 14:46
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Khizan posted:Larry Correia, probably. It's gotta be Kratzman although I would accept Michael Z Williamson.
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Dec 14, 2017 14:53
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So I found this yesterday on audible and got it after listening to the preview and ohh dear. Brandon the Thighmaster posted:"Hi. I am Brandon Thighmaster. Monk. Hero. Inspiration. I enjoy crunching, squats, looking at myself, looking at other people looking at myself, and long walks on the beach. I also do adventures and stuff, and I guess you can read about them here. But enough about you, let's talk about me. Brandon Thighmaster." Brandon the Thighmaster posted:"Brandon-San, it is for this reason I have asked you here today. We must talk" Brandon the Thighmaster posted:"You have at least packed plenty of water?" He gestured to Brandon's water skin. This feels incredibly like someone wrote a book about their favorite pen and paper character they ever made and it's "great". ToxicFrog posted:
The Cover I posted is an indie work not Baen. Many of their covers still are like the ones you posted.
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Dec 14, 2017 15:44
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Brandon is from the authors and dragons podcast.
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Dec 14, 2017 15:47
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Brandon is from the authors and dragons podcast. Well I might have to check that out based off this uhhhh masterpiece.
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Dec 14, 2017 15:49
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90s Cringe Rock posted:But who does that make Theodore Beale? edit: Wait, that's the wrong alt-media shithole, isn't it.
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Dec 14, 2017 17:38
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90s Cringe Rock posted:But who does that make Theodore Beale? Putin.
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Dec 14, 2017 18:27
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StrixNebulosa posted:The author did not make her a lesbian to make her "special". Yeah, I see this kneejerk reaction so often. "The choice of making the protagonist not straight hasn't been fully justified to me therefore it's a gimmick being shoved down my throat by the PC brigade!"
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Dec 14, 2017 19:21
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Stuporstar posted:Yeah, I see this kneejerk reaction so often. "The choice of making the protagonist not straight hasn't been fully justified to me therefore it's a gimmick being shoved down my throat by the PC brigade!" Lol. My dream is that one day characters in all sorts of media will be gay or trans and it will have nothing to do with the story at all. I have yet to see a book or movie that had a trans character but didn't make their whole arc about being trans.
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Dec 14, 2017 19:50
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Pretty sure that Full Fathoms Five by Max Gladstone is that, although Kai being trans is barely mentioned.
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Dec 14, 2017 19:56
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Stuporstar posted:Yeah, I see this kneejerk reaction so often. "The choice of making the protagonist not straight hasn't been fully justified to me therefore it's a gimmick being shoved down my throat by the PC brigade!" This, all the time. If a character is anything but a straight white dude, the author is required to submit extensive documentation for why they were included, but stick a loving Englishman in an African jungle with only gorillas for company and no, hey, that's cool, Tarzan, you totally belong here and you're not a special mary sue.
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Dec 14, 2017 20:05
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cis autodrag posted:Lol. My dream is that one day characters in all sorts of media will be gay or trans and it will have nothing to do with the story at all. I have yet to see a book or movie that had a trans character but didn't make their whole arc about being trans. Rook by Carolyn McCray was the first novel I'd read where it was a major character and never really had arc about it. Just, a trans character and that was that. Decent book as well. Kind of ahead of its time, was released in 2012 I think. Might be why there wasn't more in the series.
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Dec 14, 2017 20:19
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Patrick Spens posted:Pretty sure that Full Fathoms Five by Max Gladstone is that, although Kai being trans is barely mentioned. His new one, Ruin of Angels is even more so
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Dec 14, 2017 20:19
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ulmont posted:It's gotta be Kratzman although I would accept Michael Z Williamson. I'd agree about Williamson except I've been commissioned to do an RPG based on the RCS series.
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Dec 14, 2017 20:28
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cis autodrag posted:Lol. My dream is that one day characters in all sorts of media will be gay or trans and it will have nothing to do with the story at all. I have yet to see a book or movie that had a trans character but didn't make their whole arc about being trans. I can think of a few off the top of my head just from books I've read in the past year, and there's probably a bunch more that I'm forgetting because a year after I read something I usually don't even remember most of the major plot, let alone intimate details of the personal lives of secondary characters.
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Dec 15, 2017 00:19
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ToxicFrog posted:I can think of a few off the top of my head just from books I've read in the past year, and there's probably a bunch more that I'm forgetting because a year after I read something I usually don't even remember most of the major plot, let alone intimate details of the personal lives of secondary characters. That's good to hear. I haven't run into any but maybe I will eventually. I have time for like 4 books a year tops these days.
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Dec 15, 2017 00:48
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cis autodrag posted:Lol. My dream is that one day characters in all sorts of media will be gay or trans and it will have nothing to do with the story at all. I have yet to see a book or movie that had a trans character but didn't make their whole arc about being trans. First example that comes to mind is a (minor) character in Jemisin's Broken Earth book.
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Dec 15, 2017 02:47
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ulmont posted:It's gotta be Kratzman although I would accept Michael Z Williamson. No, Kratzman is the Alex Jones of Baen.
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Dec 15, 2017 02:48
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