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Magnificent Quiver posted:It's repetitive military pulp fiction but I found it enjoyable enough to keep up with the whole series. There's a lot of detail to the space combat if that's your thing, and some clever touches I'd never thought of or seen before. I'd say the same. Quite pulpy but fun for the most parts (the relationship stuff is boring), repeats quite a bit, but a book a year isn't a problem and it gives me some of the rare Mil-SF-fix. Reading all of them in a row is something you should avoid however. And I agree that some of the combat is based on things that haven't been done very often in SF - it shows that Campbell comes from a Navy background. Also, Mil-SF writers who aren't beating you over with their right-wing diatribes (Ringo) are few enough and Campbell is one of the few. I also second the recommendation for Elizabeth Moon. It's Honor Harrington done well basically. Decius fucked around with this message at 16:42 on May 12, 2010 |
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May 12, 2010 16:39
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Tanith posted:AND ALIENS?!?!? Who are a major plot point for the rest of the series, although without direct appearance - or nearly so. However Campbell is writing two further series in the same universe - of which premise I better don't say anything since it would spoil the rest of this series.
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May 14, 2010 06:21
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Astroman posted:Somehow I'm just a sucker for his stuff though. He lacks the punch and brilliance of say, John Scalzi, but I still like him so much more than other authors who can get a bit repetitive. Yeah, I definitely get all his new stuff. It's more "see it for its shortcomings" than "don't read it". I heartily recommend his books if you like Mil-SF just a little bit. John Geary is a great character as are some of the secondary officers. His battle scenes are easily worth ignoring the few flaws Campbell has.
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May 16, 2010 04:40
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evilbastard posted:I'd stop there. A friend loaned me all four books, and I found Zoe's Tale / The Last Colony to be repetitive and frankly a waste of time. If you want to tell the same story from two different perspectives, that's what having multiple protagonists in the same drat book is for. Zoe's Tale is a Young Adult Novel, it's not directly a fourth book of the series, which is the reason it has a different tone, perspective, focus and second perspective on the third book.
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Jun 16, 2010 08:33
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Magnificent Quiver posted:That sounds like a retroactive take on it, given that if the other three books are not young adult novels how is a young adult supposed to even know what's going on? Nah, he wrote it specifically as YA novel from the beginning, that's the reason the PoV is a teenage girl, which isn't really something your average SF-reader can relate very well to: quote:So that’s the gratifying part. The frustrating part is that one very large chunk of the book’s intended audience — teenagers and in particular teenage girls — have little if any awareness of the book . This is because despite the perception within the science fiction community that Zoe is a YA book, with nearly all the reviews and commentary about the book nodding in that direction, the fact is that the book was marketed as adult SF and shelved there rather than in the YA section. To be clear, this marketing strategy was one I was aware of and which had my approval and involvement, so this isn’t a kvetch about Tor, and I will thank you not to consider it so. They’ve been great with supporting the book. I like they wanted to see if a book like Zoe could help bring YA readers into the adult SF/F area of the bookstore. and more specifically here, also about Zoe's Tale being readable as standalone novel: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/02/03/thoughts-on-zoes-tale/
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Jun 17, 2010 06:08
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CAPTAIN poo poo posted:Based on a early recommendation in this thread I'm binging my way through the Ian M Banks Culture novels. I am really loving the moral ambiguity prevalent throughout the series. A lot of space opera, sci fi, or hell, most novels in general is clearly good guys versus bad guys. The way that the Minds in Bank's book twist and manipulate people to their own supposedly benevolent ends while lying constantly is one of the coolest ideas I've seen in science fiction in awhile. 'Player of Games' and 'Use of Weapons' had more memorable moments than anything else I've read recently. Are there any other good series that focus on moral ambiguity and manipulation? Neal Asher's Polity series takes a similar setting (AIs ruling over humans for their own good in a (nearly) post scarcity setting) but goes in a bit different (=grayer/darker) direction.
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Jun 28, 2010 06:56
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Tanith posted:Just read Scalzi's Old Man's War, and liked it a great deal more than I expected. Are the other two set in this universe good too? I liked them a lot, although the third book shifts the setting away from the military setting to the colonial, which some people didn't like. The fourth is a YA novel with a PoV-switch retelling of the third book/telling of the part of the story that wasn't seen in the third book. If you like the military aspect you should at least read the second book, if you care for the setting and/or characters too I would recommend the other two books too.
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Sep 12, 2010 07:27
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After Mass Effect ended on a dissapointing note after a brilliant game, I need some good Space Opera, one which "feels" similar. I've read every Culture novel, all of Neal Asher's Polity, I'm in the process of working through the Vorkosigan series, read Charles Stross' Eschaton books and Scalzi's Old Man's War series. The Risen Empire duology too. The classics like Foundation and Dune too of course. I enjoyed them all, but that's also the most obvious books I myself would name, so what's somewhat similar out there?
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Mar 17, 2012 08:24
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Miss-Bomarc posted:It's right there in the name. Jim Baen did his business based on personality, and the personalities that created working relationships with him generally had what you'd call "terrible right-wing views". With some notable exceptions, such as David Drake (who, to the extent that he has a definable political philosophy beyond sarcastic cynicism, seems to favor anarcho-syndicalism.) Drake at least has the good sense to keep his political philosophy mostly out of his books. Also Lois McMaster Bujold, who is as far as you can get from all the right-wing stuff of Baen. The Vorkosigan series is of course highly recommended, even if it isn't really an epic Space Opera (although set against a similar backdrop).
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May 4, 2012 13:45
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jng2058 posted:What's sad about it is that through most of the books Hornblower is miserable. He's basically poo poo on land and useless in peacetime, and the only thing that keeps him from blowing his own brains out is the hope that he'll be able to get to sea again! Yeah he eventually becomes rich and famous and overcomes his self-doubt, but that's in the last book as Forester lets Hornblower go out with a happy ending. Honor got everything that Hornblower ever achieved in what, book three? But unlike Hornblower, she's still around afterwards. Weber's chickenshit decision to let Honor survive At All Costs was the end for me. I've never read another book in the series, because I just can't take it anymore. That's why Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series is superior in every way. Jack is miserable? Usually Stephen is there to cheer him up and vice versa. And it is drat unfortunate there is nothing that comes near in SF (well, Vorkosigan does, but they Bujold turned it from MilSF to SF-Crime-Solving/Politics, which while I really love it, isn't quite the same). Decius fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Sep 18, 2013 |
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Sep 18, 2013 19:49
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Cardiac posted:Asher's The Polity series might be interesting, it's got AI starships and AI run society. More action based than Banks though. I don't know if I would qualify Polity as progressive nor Asher's writing (it's fun an lots of action though). Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga would be my recommendation. An isolated, backwards, patriarchal and feudal society regains connections to the greater galactic society and the resulting growing pains shown through the lens of the Vorkosigan family (mainly through the extremely unconventional Miles of course). No AIs though.
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Nov 22, 2013 10:54
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Carrier posted:Look to Windward kinda follows on from Consider Phlebas though doesn't it? I agree it is the best Culture book though. Very indirectly. You need to know there was a big, brutal, galaxy-wide, long war which the Culture won several centuries ago in which some of the protagonists were involved. I think it can be read on its own.
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Jan 7, 2014 07:03
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Zola posted:I love the whole series and Civil Campaign is my favorite with Captain Vorpatril's Alliance running a close second. Yeah, I too love Civil Campaign, even if - or maybe because - it is somewhat Jane Austen in space. Same with Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, although I found it more like the rest of the Vorkosigan saga compared the A Civil Campaign, despite Ivan being the protagonist. Decius fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Jan 23, 2014 |
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Jan 23, 2014 07:46
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Psykmoe posted:Has anyone here read the Quadrail books? I was talking about Timothy Zahn the other day (well, listening to my brother how everyone in the Thrawn trilogy purses their lips all the time) and I looked up what else the guy wrote. I read it and if you can accept the rather ridiculous concept of the FTL-train network I found it a very charming series. Hedrigall is right when he says that the direct sequel was a bit too much by-the-numbers, but the next two books take it in a very different direction (while still being basically "Murder on the Orient Express"). I liked the series a lot overall, very pulpy style, some good ideas and I liked the main characters.
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Mar 5, 2014 07:17
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Well, if you want to attack an out-of-system neighbour you need ships, especially since the Quadrail network is extremely regulated in what military equipment can be transported. There is no other FTL system in the books, which makes it a very interesting concept. The universe portrayed in the series is one of only very small engagements and lots of cloak-and-dagger stuff instead of outright warfare because of this. Hostile parties being forced to take the same train (supposedly unarmed), which is more or less neutral ground it, if they want to travel between systems, makes it feel very much like a cold war/spy vs. spy thing, which I liked a lot. As said, as long as you can accept the concept of a train tube system built throughout the galaxy, built in just a few centuries (and new lines in years and decades) instead of millions and billions of years and without any concerns about the needed matter involved in that process. Very pulpy/Golden Age-type of concept again, and fun.
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Mar 6, 2014 06:59
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ThaGhettoJew posted:She's tangentially in the third too, iirc. It's just that it's mostly the Rocinante crew, Reverend Anna, the power-armor marine lady, and the super crazy assassin girl. Honestly I didn't think it was a particularly awesome entry in the series, but it wasn't like orders of magnitude worse than the prior two to me. The "slow zone" sure lived up to its name though... I found the parts with Anna and especially the Assassin were simply boring and dragged out endlessly. They tried so hard to make us care for the Assassin, which fell completely flat for me. Basically the whole third part after Holden returns from the station was stretched too long and too thin. I like Holden, including his mind-bogglingly stupid stubborness, so I don't have a problem with his parts and I like New Miller, even if Old Miller was of course far better, since he was actually a character. I liked the security chief (even if he was pretty bad at his job...), but yeah, next book better have Bobby and Grandma back.
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May 7, 2014 05:57
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Khizan posted:The Aubrey and Maturin novels are really really good. My only problem with them is that the ebooks are ~$10 each and there's 23 or so of the loving things. I could cut that price in half by skimming through the used bookstores but then I'd have to store the loving things. Without real library access I'm just not willing to jump that far into a series that long. I bought the German hardcovers (and the softcovers once they stopped doing the hardcovers) back when I discovered the books (still have to than Donna Leon for recommending them in an article). Then I bought them in English (because why read the inferior translation?) once Amazon became a thing. Then I bought all of the ebooks again because I want to preserve my Norton hardcovers. I must have spent well over 1000 Euros on Patrick O'Brian books over the last 15 years, and it was worth every single cent. Decius fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Jul 4, 2014 |
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Jul 4, 2014 10:53
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Strategic Tea posted:Stories going from an officer to a captain to an admiral... to an admiral of multiple fleets and specops commando and noble and war hero. Each conflict bigger and more impressive and each fleet more powerful than the last with like ten thousand Super Big Extra Star Destroyers. That's what happens if you have a long-running series with perfect protagonists that always win. Since the protagonists have no real flaws that would stand in their way, are liked by everyone not evil, and of course are always climbing up every ladder you have only a very narrow ledge to introduce strife - without adversity your only choice to create conflict again is by making the outside threat bigger than the one just solved last book. Compare it with series that actually feature complete characters like the Vorkosigan Saga or the already mentioned Aubrey/Maturin - you don't need to always make the threat bigger and badder, because you have a big and rich tapestry of directions and ways to introduce barriers and conflict for the heroes. Decius fucked around with this message at 13:43 on Sep 3, 2014 |
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Sep 3, 2014 13:40
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blue squares posted:I saw a book called Leviathan Wakes at the book store by a James SA Corey. Is it any good? It looked cool but I know nothing about it (or space opera). Yes, but it starts do drag with book 3, which isn't helped by them underutilizing the best and most interesting characters in book 3 and 4. The promise of the first book is better than the delivery of the 3rd and 4th if it makes any sense. The increase of size and scope from a trilogy to a tentive 9-book-series (so far) doesn't fill me with confidence that things get better. Decius fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Sep 8, 2014 |
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Sep 8, 2014 06:03
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toe knee hand posted:So I'm starting to think I like space opera rather than general sci fi. Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga might be intersting. It's not a gender-progessive society, but the tone of the books very much is. It's set in a deeply patriarchal society (after 400 years of no contact with the rest of the universe) a few decades after being thrown back into the wider galaxy, and after just fending off an invasion and occupation by a neighboring Empire. Main protagonist (after the first two books about his parents) is Miles, a very, very clever guy born a crippled dwarf in a warrior society. And unlike the description I just gave it's not dark at all, thanks to lots of humour throughout the series. Basically the story of said patriarchal society being dragged screaming and protesting into a gender-equal, gender progressive world by the Vorkosigan family and friends.
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Jan 7, 2015 07:48
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General Battuta posted:The best thing the TV show could do is kill off the core cast ASAP and let the guest characters run the narrative. UN grandma and Bobbie TV show.
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Jan 20, 2015 13:31
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TheHoodedClaw posted:The new Vorkosigan novel is out in eARC form from the Baen site. Being on holiday this week, I read it today. Thoughts (there's no major spoilers, really): Thanks for the reminder, bought it right sway. Ugh, so many free Kratman and Ringo books in my account. It makes me feel dirty (the Liaden ones I might read though).
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Oct 23, 2015 19:03
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Vorryter. A pretty important name in the series.
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Nov 20, 2015 11:25
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