Jeff's comments
(member since Jan 07, 2008)
Jeff's comments from the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club group.
(showing 1-20 of 59)
I had no problem placing myself in the mindset and culture. That's one of the things I always try to do in a book, helps me escape, which is, of course, why I read fiction. I hadn't really thought of the Martians as metaphor for foreign invasion, because the were foreign invaders. But it would be hard for me to consider them as, say, German or Japanese, because I can't fathom that any other country on earth would have technology that was THAT far advanced from ours.
Very nice! Being from the U.S. and never having even heard of a lot of these places, that kind of helps put it in perspective.
I can't remember if I read this book when I was younger, but I feel like I must have. I'm sure I read the "Classics Illustrated" version at some point. I like the way this is written almost as a documentary. It's all very "matter of fact," stylistically, which, in a way, makes it even more terrifying. I like the descriptions. Very realistically, as someone trying to describe things he has never seen using words that don't really fit.
R.a. wrote: "It has been decades, yes decades, since I read it, but the thing I remember best is what is characterized all of Ray Bradbury's writing -- he is extremely lyrical and he leaves you with a sense of ..."Yes! "Lyrical." That's the word I have been looking for all along. Thank you!
I agree that the aliens seemed a bit human. Not completely, though, as evidenced by their ability to appear differently to different people (one of my favorite stories was "The Martian"). Of course, they seemed more intilligent. Which brings up a question...why do we always think the aliens are going to be smarter than us? Does the human race suffer from an inferiority complex? They also always seem to have mind-reading/speaking capability, such as in "Night Meeting." But there were just enough human qualities to not make us uncomfortable.
I've finished the book now, and purposefully waited until doing so to begin getting into the discussions. However, my first impressions (which I briefly discussed in my review) included being unsure at first if I was reading a collection of short stories or a novel. It's almost both, if that's even possible! I love Bradbury's writing style so much, and even though this book is well dated, it still is classic Bradbury. The descriptiveness with which he writes is, at times, very creepy, and at other times, well, for lack of better terminology, "warm and fuzzy!" His characters always seem to talk with a sense of urgency. More often than not, their dialogue ends with exclamation points. I find that interesting, too. Bradbury's characters always hold my interest.
I, too, love the "sparseness" of the writing. It still carries over in his writing today. The last collection I read had multiple stories that were less than a page. Yet they said volumes. Bradbury is a master at this talent.
As soon as I finish The Martian Chronicles for the discussion group, I'll be reading Mort, by Terry Pratchett. Not sure after that. I might venture into a non-fiction book afterwards. Or jump into Blood of the Fold, to continue the Sword of Truth series.
I'm also reading Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. It is similar in plot device to To Say Nothing of the Dog, but much less humorous. In fact, it is mostly serious. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
I would think that spoilers are assumed in this thread...hard to list your favorite scene without being a spoiler. "Mine is that thing between those four people and those four guys?" Heh.
I live in Fort Worth....welcome to Texas! Not the best time of year to be here, though. Especially Houston. It's quite humid down there! Curious...does it ever get this hot in England?
Hee. I love the Douglas Adams quote! I might actually remember that...been a long time since I read Dirk.
Speaking of irony, my "word of the day" email for today was "ineffable." I almost fell out of my chair. Oddly enough, I think I misunderstood the meaning of the word all the way through the book. Apparently, it means "Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable." Or, "Not to be uttered; taboo." I'm thinking the first definition fits our story better.
As long as we forget that the "M" used to stand for "Music."
I hate it. Sci-Fi, at least, stands for "Science Fiction." "SyFy" stands for nothing. I like the comment that said it looks like "siffy." Which, naturally, makes me thing of syphilis. NOT a good thing. Oh, well. I've been trying for months now to figure out what wrestling has to do with science fiction...
I've already alluded to one in another thread. I love the scene where Aziraphale and Crowley get drunk in the back of the book shop. But coming up rapidly behind it is the scene between Anathema and Newt as the storm is hitting her house. They are so adorable!
That is, perhaps, the hardest question here. It's terribly difficult for me to pinpoint one character that is my favorite. If you backed me up against a wall and pointed a gun at my head, I might shout, "Crowley!" But then I would probably die with my next breath because I might, then, exlaim, "No, wait! Anathema Device!" Sigh. Or maybe even, "Dog!" I pretty much like them all.
My first impression is good. I love the way the book begins, and, to me, just kind of hits the ground running and never slows down. Well, there is one part that slows a bit, but I won't go into that here...
Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse is absolutely outrageous. And I, too, have thoroughly enjoyed Fforde's work. On a side note, Good Omens helped me endure a night at work recently in which I was plagued by severe back pain. Laughter is, indeed, good medicine!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the First Law Trilogy. I've read two of three so far. But in July, besides the group book, Good Omens, I'm also reading Stone of Tears, book two of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Being close to 1000 pages, that may take me the rest of July to finish, so I'm not sure what comes after that. Perhaps the next Discworld book (I've read the first two so far).
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