Chris’s Comments (group member since Feb 25, 2011)

Chris’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

Don't worry, Rachel. I like a challenge, too (e.g., the Malazan group read!!). I just found Ninefox Gambit took longer than I would have liked to open up to me. But you're not alone, NG certainly has built quite a following!

As to Ninefox Gambit, I thought it was a creative book. I've read it for two other book groups, where it received generally good reviews. I admit, though, I had quite a problem getting into the book on the first read. There isn't a lot of explanation on the society and the calendrical "technology" until you're well into the story, and the lack of explanation got in my way. I found the book much more engaging on the second read since I had a better idea what was going on. I also liked Raven Stratagem, but was a little put out that it began with more background explanation. Where was that in the first book, where I needed it????

I did like the main characters and the political twists and turns.

Non-attending membership for Worldcon 76, San Jose 2018, is $50. Yes, you do get voting rights and it includes the nomination package. Note that in recent years this does not always include the full text of ALL nominated novels; some only provide an excerpt (it's up to the publisher). It has included full text of novellas, novelettes, and short stories. Here's a link to the membership page. http://www.worldcon76.org/membership/...

I think you're right about Anna and C/M. The Rocinante is becoming more and more like the Serenity with each book .... what a collection of characters!

There is a separate novella with Amos' backstory. I wonder if we'll see a Naomi novella in the future? She clearly has some secrets, but it left her with a rock-hard sense of social justice and fairness, and she's not afraid to put everything on the line for the greater good.

I'm with you, Shel - it's a fast read. I liked Bull and Anna. Bull reminded me of Babylon 5's Michael Garibaldi. James Holden is still righteous and honest, even when everyone else operates from political motives.

But I am really on a fence about Clarissa/Melba. I'm always leery of characters with unlimited funds and superhero powers, and I just didn't find her motives believable. I really enjoyed the overall story, though, and we ONLY have the story if we have C/M's actions driving it. It seems she's being established as a continuing character, so I'll have to see if she becomes more likable - and believable.

I find John Scalzi's books to be enjoyable reads, and this is no exception. He has set up an engaging problem, imagining how the economics and viability of an interstellar empire would be threatened by a significant change in the ability to travel between far flung locations, many of which may not be self sufficient. Unfortunately, the next book in the series isn't due until 2019!

I liked the characters of Cardenia and Marce. I thought they were engaging and relatable. I didn't care for Marcie's sister, though; I'm a bit suspicious of characters with superhuman qualities. My favorite construct is the Memory Room; as an aspiring archivist, I strongly support making the past accessible so that we can learn from it.

Loved this one, and can't wait to get on with the next. I agree with the comments so far, particularly that the Bobbie of the book is more engaging than Bobbie in the TV series. I had also expected the second book to end concurrently with the TV series, and was surprised that there is additional material.

For fantasy, I'll try Good Omens again by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett.

For science fiction, I'll propose Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. It's a older classic, and I heard Robert Silverburg recommend it last week.

I admire Nnedi Okorafor for bringing an African sensibility to speculative fiction. She spoke at a luncheon I attended earlier this year, and I appreciated learning more about her Nigerian-American upbringing and how it influenced her works. It's a reminder that we don't have to go to outer space to stretch and embrace cultures other than our own.

I found Phoenix to be an interesting character. I liked the book, but found the world depressing. The Towers were apparently created to do good (and in fact did create good outcomes in climate control and disease prevention), but achieved their ends through reprehensible means. I didn't find it a very hopeful book, although I liked the characters and storytelling.

That said, I am very interested to continue with Who Fears Death. That's been on my TBR shelf for a few months; now I have more incentive to get on with it.

I read this when it first came out, but it's been awhile so I re-read it again for our discussion. I'm quite a Mieville fan. I think it's amazing that he can conjure up such unique and detailed worlds.

It's been a VERY long time since I read Moby Dick. VERY long. But I am so impressed at the way Railsea gives us the feeling of seafaring even when set on iron rails. It both honors the sailor's yarn and pokes a bit of sly fun. The pub scene with the captains trading stories of their philosophies was priceless!

Altogether an inventive and entertaining read.

I nominate Good Omens (Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman) for fantasy. The BBC has just started production on a six part TV show to air late this year. It would be fun to read the book first.

For science fiction, I suggest Binti (Nnedi Okorafor).

I am enjoying the "Chris gender" discussion. As a female Chris (full name Christine, but I've always just used Chris), I am often confused for a male Chris in print. And yet, I am chagrined to discover that I assumed the Chris in the book was male, without any question. Thanks for giving me something to think about!

I thought the book was well written. It's Ursula K LeGuin, of course, what else would I expect? The main characters were well drawn, and the world was strangely compelling. Yet it was a very grim and discouraging world, where the gifts were used only for destruction. They weren't really evil, just venal. I kept looking for the people who had gifts to build and create but never found them. I was glad to see our two main characters ultimately reject this world view, hoping for something better.

I've been watching the TV series, so it was interesting to compare to the book. I enjoy both! The expansion within the solar system is gritty and realistic, at a time when the other settlements have developed their own identity and motivations separate from Earth. The action is very fast, moving to many different locations, and the book helped me differentiate the places a bit more. I was surprised to see that the book has only two POV characters. The TV series has others that must come from later books, so I assume that the books must overlap in time. Very much looking forward to the second book!

I admit, I'm a sucker for doubled genres . There's just something that tickles me about layering some science fiction concept as an accepted fact, then building a good crime drama (or a heist, for example) on top.

Lock-In is an entertaining read. I don't usually have much patience with narrators that have everything given to them (rich, smart, talented) but both Chris and his father have managed to remain grounded in spite of their success.

Silvana, I totally agree about getting a smile when the threeps suddenly woke up. I loved the "car chase" aspect, too, when Chris kept wrecking his personal transports almost as a running joke.

Random, you raise an interesting point. The play "Children of a Lesser God" also comes to mind, questioning the nature of disability and cure . Perhaps there are no absolute right or wrong answers, only tradeoffs and situation-specific solutions. Not everyone with Hadens wants a cure, but I can imagine that some do. Who pays for care, or for the cure? Thorny issues indeed.

I was recently discussing with another group, and we got into the "magic vs science" discussion. That book uses mathematical and logical concepts as weaponry (calendrical swords, reinforcing formations, even an antonym dictionary!) but otherwise has the trappings of "hard" science fiction. There's been a trend to use the term "speculative fiction" to replace "science fiction" -- maybe that's more and more accurate.

I also wonder -- if we called in teleporting instead of Jaunting, would we be more comfortable with it as a science-y concept?

I thought I'd mention that there are also two novellas set in the World of the Five Gods: Penric's Demon and Penric and the Shaman. They're not as "rich", given the shorter format, but I found them entertaining.

Hmmm, I didn't care as much for Lizanne. I think she was too single minded, too focused, so she felt a bit one sided to me. I did like Clay more and more as we went along, probably because we could see him grow.

I also find classic scifi a bit clunky, as you put it. I think that's due to its origin in magazines and pulp novels. Random, you raise an interesting point about scifi vs fantasy -- it's just as easy to think of jaunting as a magical system. But scifi often starts with "what if" and then proceeds from there. There's a lot of reimagining society when (nearly) everyone can jaunt, including imagining how it can be exploited for criminal purposes.

But then there's Gully Foyle, our unique protagonist who undergoes a HUGE character changing arc that seems separate from the "what if people can jaunt" story. Until, suddenly, the jaunt story becomes prominent again at the finish. I think this was a very well constructed story -- glad to have read it!

I did read the Gaiman introduction, and didn't think it was too spoilery except perhaps for his McGuffin comments. A McGuffin isn't a McGuffin if you know it's a McGuffin.....

At first, the magical system reminded me of Mistborn. From an ecological standpoint, however, society's dependence on dragon blood is headed for a crash, clearly not sustainable. I found myself rooting for the dragons.

And so much carnage! Go somewhere new, fight hordes of faceless things, win against impossible odds. I thought we had too much of it. Still, I found the last quarter of the book the most engaging.