|
I just finished The Urth of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe, and have now completed the entire Book of the New Sun series. I ...don't know what to say about it yet. I thoroughly enjoyed the books. I have lingering thoughts about them, and I will reread them one day. The books did not have the profound emotional impact that The Fifth Head of Cerberus or Peace did, but I admire the world-building, scope, complexity, and audaciousness of it all. At first, I thought Urth was going to be easier to follow and more traditional compared to its precursors, but I quickly discovered I was wrong. The Christ/God parallels were a little too on the nose for my taste, but it didn't inhibit my enjoyment and was certainly less unpleasant than Severian's thirst in the original saga (even if that thirst is intentional character development and meaningful, it's annoying in most media). Does anyone have links to interesting analyses of the individual books or series? I found both Fifth Head and Peace to be much more discernible, grokking most of the intended message and story on my first read. I think I understand most the narrative, so I'm looking for more insight. Was the miracle at the end Severian bringing the ship Nessus overhead? malnourish fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Jul 13, 2023 |
#
¿
Jul 13, 2023 20:24
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 9, 2024 16:20 |
|
|
Megazver posted:Have you seen this? Not until now, interest piqued
|
|
#
¿
Jul 14, 2023 00:34
|
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:I'd say you should probably reread the books yourself before you go looking for other's opinions. It will likely cement certain ideas into your head that you'll find hard to shake if you see contrary evidence. That said there is no lack for material Botns writing. The above, the Rereading Wolfe Podcast which has some people who've been around the block and have good knowledge about the old mailing list crowd and Shelved by Genre whom just started and have a mix of people who've read the work over many times and a novice who never finished the work; it's been refreshingly interesting and insightful compared to some other podcasts with similar conceits. Yeah, I think that's a good word of caution. I've heard good things about the podcasts, I just have a very hard time listening to things.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 14, 2023 01:33
|
|
|
Piranesi. Quick read and enjoyable but I don't think it's something I'd ever recommend. It never left me feeling awed and I didn't find the mystery that compelling, which I had been hoping for given the setting and subject matter. That said, the prose was well crafted, and while the last third of the book was less intriguing, it was more engaging (i.e. page-turning). Up next: Gideon the Ninth
|
|
#
¿
Jul 26, 2023 21:10
|
|
|
I would value your perspectives on the book; I found it well written but not as thought provoking as what I was looking for. Even if it doesn't change my opinion, the views of others helps me appreciate something more.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2023 11:09
|
|
|
I enjoy more complex narratives and complicated characters. I wish the world had been further explored and the mystery more developed. There weren't intricate clues to piece together and there was no "aha!" moment for me. I felt like the pursuit of ancient knowledge was unceremoniously dropped. It made sense in the story why it was, but it seemed a more compelling thread. All of the secondary characters came across a little flat to me and the lead was a little too perfect. I would have liked more time in the labyrinth and less with what were largely news reports. malnourish fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Jul 28, 2023 |
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2023 00:07
|
|
|
mellonbread posted:This was exactly why I loved Piranesi. [...] Better to be left wanting more than infodumped to death. I agree with the latter half. While I'd have preferred exploration of the character via exploration of the labyrinth, at least the story wrapped up instead of dragged out
|
|
#
¿
Aug 1, 2023 03:26
|
|
|
Finished Harrow the Ninth, which I enjoyed significantly more than Gideon the Ninth (a good book in its own right). I'll likely start on the follow-up tonight, although the blurb has me concerned that the mystery will be quite similar. I was under the impression Nona was the last book in the series but it appears at least one more is slated. I am astonished with how well the second person narration worked.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 5, 2023 17:09
|
|
|
I've shared my thoughts on Piranesi before, but overall I agree that I wish there were more books with the same general ideas, if only for them to be executed better.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 16, 2023 22:33
|
|
|
Just finished Pale Fire last night. The prose was sublime and I found the book as a whole quite enjoyable. I wish I knew poetry jargon better, but my ignorance didn't tangibly detract from the experience. I was pleasantly surprised with the way some things (e.g. queerness and prejudice) were handled, with respect to the time it was written. I didn't find it as emotionally impactful as Peace, by our boy Gene, but it will still leave a lasting impression. Has anyone here read Despair or Laughter in the Dark?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2023 18:39
|
|
|
Just finished reading Blindsight, and moving onto the sequel tonight. Loved it; great sci-fi and so, so much better than the Three Body Problem books I'm listening to on my commute. Seriously, they couldn't be more different in terms of quality. Blindsight isn't perfect, but it's orders of magnitude better than The Dark Forest. I legitimately do not understand how those stilted, gaping plot holes disguised as books have a positive reputation.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 13, 2023 04:56
|
|
|
Just wrapped up Echopraxia (read) and The Dark Forest (listened). Echopraxia was fine, but not nearly as good as its predecessor. I suppose I'm much more interested in the contents of Blindsight. I thought the writing was stronger in the first one, too. I've said enough about the awful 3 Body Problem books. The ending of the second book was unexpected, though. So credit for that. I think I'm going to temporarily shift off sci-fi with a listen of Mort (first Discworld book, for me) and a read of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 27, 2023 15:48
|
|
|
I am approaching the halfway point in Mort; I'm in my 30s and I'm definitely enjoying it. The intermittent dumb humor passes quickly enough, and some of the jokes are quite funny. I appreciate that it isn't just relying on comedy.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 28, 2023 02:26
|
|
|
istewart posted:I feel like it would have been a better book if Watts had been more willing to get inside the head of the vampire character. After thinking about it, that's what Blindsight left me wanting that Echopraxia failed to satisfy. Valerie the vampire remains a threatening mystery, perhaps even moreso than Sarastri in the first book, only to be thrown away by the end of it, without any further insight. Perhaps a deeper dive into alien mindsets is what the end of the book is promising, but if there were going to be a third book, I'd think we'd have heard more about it by now. I agree. It seemed like the message was even the best of the vampires pale in comparison to a nascent alien hybrid, but it's as if Watts ran out of steam and decided it was time to wrap up. The last quarter of the book is a sprint to the finish line, with just a minor stop for a bit of desert dessert. I want to know if we have a Gohan scenario where the hybrid is "stronger" than the original.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 28, 2023 04:35
|
|
|
I didn't realize the bell effect signalled a footnote, but that makes sense. I love the narration though. I think Sian does a phenomenal job creating a cozy atmosphere and the voice of Death is superb. I have a sample size of one half finished book. Looking forward to more though, perfect for the commute. (Only "issue" is I'm going to chew through my Audible credits at my current rate of consumption)
|
|
#
¿
Nov 28, 2023 22:48
|
|
|
Recently finished Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of The Dead. Can't say I was enamored with it. It was a bit plodding and frequently regurgitated its themes. If I hadn't read a book I won't mention because knowing the title in this context is spoilers enough, I would have maybe enjoyed Drive a bit more. Unlike The 3 Body Problem books, I do think some of these issues can be attributed to translation.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2023 02:16
|
|
|
escape artist posted:Someone on here suggested this as my first Discworld book, but after your review I am wondering if that is the best place to start... This is exciting. As someone who recently got started with Discworld, and started with Mort (previous failed attempts with CoM), I quite liked it. His ending was pretty rushed. I'm up through to Moving Pictures now, and he's getting better, but I listen to these for a fun time and have limited expectations. I would be (pleasantly!) surprised if the quality ever approaches the books I choose to actually read.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 17, 2024 01:20
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 9, 2024 16:20 |
|
|
Just finished the recent audiobook version of Reaper Man. It had the best ending sequence of any of the books in the series, so far. The finale was poignant, but still lighthearted, and wasn't as rushed as previous entries (like the aforementioned Mort). I didn't find the wizard plotline all too compelling, but I'm looking forward to meeting some of the characters again. I enjoyed the characterization of the burser in Moving Pictures more than here. This is the first of time where I wasn't very impressed by the narration; rather, I was a bit disappointed. Sian did well with Mort, but there were too many characters for her vocal range and she ended up having a number of identical (to my ear) voices. Her "Alfred" voice stood out as overused, in particular. On to Witches Abroad, which will probably be the next book I finish given how long it's taking me to read Foucault's Pendulum.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 30, 2024 03:25
|
|