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

Chris’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

I'll agree with the group on this one. I liked it, but it was disappointing compared to the first two in the series. I think there was too much plot and worldbuilding, not enough time devoted to build empathy with the main characters. It certainly wasn't a bad read, though; lots of wonderful small moments in a complex and interesting world.

What a visceral, tentacle-filled ride! I'm not sure I always liked it, but I admired Zan and how she persevered on her journey. While I guessed some elements of her past, I didn't know how it would come together until the end. I didn't admire Jayd in the same way; in fact, I liked her less and less as the story continued. If I were Zan, I don't believe that I would be so quick to forgive Jayd's treachery.

I felt that this "Arabian Nights" story was beautifully written. The poetic imagery and language created a perfect atmosphere. The story within a story required intricate plotting, and I appreciated the interconnectedness of the tales. I'll confess, though, that I got a touch of whiplash from the quick changes; my poor brain had trouble keeping all the stories straight. Maybe I should have created a map...

I'm totally in for a series read. All the suggestions sound good, looking forward to see where we end up.

As I reflect back over the characters, I appreciate their complexity more and more. I admire many of them, but each had something that annoyed me as well. I liked Rhodry for the way he threw his whole self into a situation, but the "My Lady Death" thing was too much. I admired Jill for her dedication, but felt she was a bit callous to Rhodry. Nevyn's vast learning was a help to everyone, but caused a problem for Neb. For Arzosah -- well, I liked her, thought she was a good dragon!

I totally agree with your "maps" comment. It would have been much easier to keep things straight in my mind.

Andreas, thanks for the more detailed laws of robotics. If I were dealing with a live robot, I think I want your rules! But in literature, I think the three rules are close enough for me. I can remember three.

Kathi, I agree that Neb was driving me crazy at first! I'm glad that was resolved. I think it was a bold choice to introduce yet more plot lines (otter folk) when we all know we're headed towards a grand resolution. But I do think we get the sense of things converging, even though the end of this book leaves a lot unresolved.

I have a confession -- I couldn't wait! I've already finished the next book as well, looking forward to next month's discussion. But no spoilers!

This one felt a bit shallow to me (no pun intended). Lots of stuff happened; this was an intensely plot-driven book, with no time to catch your breath. There were some inventive elements; I found the glimpse of the ginger giant intriguing, although nothing ever came of it. But I didn't feel that the characters rang true, they just felt overly privileged. The magical system was also too simplistic to be very interesting. I don't think it was a bad read, just not a great one for me.

I enjoyed this re-read. This is a classic, and I think it holds up relatively well. Technological advances are still impacting the nature of work; change is often difficult, and may even be devastating to an individual. Channeling that discomfort into a more productive direction (from 'destroy the robots' to 'colonize space') can be empowering. Of course, the three laws of robotics are gems .... it's hard to see how they could be improved. And Baley and R Daneel Olivaw are enduring and memorable characters.

For science fiction, I'll nominate Arkwright by Allen Steele. I haven't read it, but it's shown up on several lists of 2016 best science fiction.

For fantasy, I'll nominate Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher. It has a lovely fairytale quality, with well rounded characters.

This is my first Sarah Zettel novel, and I'm glad to be introduced. I liked the Venus colony, quite visionary. I couldn't quite buy individual suits that would let one function on the surface, that would also allow you to crawl on your stomach through a cave ... but I agreed to suspend my disbelief. I thought the alien society was interesting and unusual. There were a lot of politics, and it all seemed to wrap up somewhat abruptly. But it was an intriguing read, thanks!

I felt that this one let me down a bit. I don't think we really saw much character growth or learned much about the cycle of reincarnations. I didn't really get Salamander's infatuation with Rocca, so I didn't get too worked up at the fall of the Horsekin city. Perhaps this book just needed to advance the political situation in order to prepare the stage for the next book. I don't put it on par with previous books in the series, though. But, bring on the next one!

This was a fun re-read. Caz is very human, and it's nice to have a character with integrity. Bujold also has a way of writing strong, smart, appealing women that I admire. Couldn't put it down!

The gods were actually one of my favorite parts. The scene where the different gods refuse to take the soul has stuck with me ever since I read it originally. As to the number five, I think that they represent very typical divine archetypes. If you're a Game of Thrones fan, their seven gods are very similar. They add a Smith and a Warrior, and replace the Bastard with the Stranger, I believe.

And Rori! Why can't he heal?

Bring on the next book......

Once again, Kathi, I have to thank you for taking us on this ride. I like these characters and I'm always anxious to see what's next for them. We can see that the loop is starting to close, but that our main characters are growing, not just repeating past lives.

Salamander's cure seemed altogether too easy. I know that time has passed, but it's just not that believable to me.

At first, I wondered if Neb would be an incarnation of Jill, and Branna an incarnation of Nevyn. Wouldn't that have been a twist! Of course, the names give it away.

Are the changelings really better off now?

Who is the mazrak?

Following up on a friend's recommendation, I'm reading Summer in Orcus and enjoying it very much so far.

I have read this at least twice for different groups, so I'm going to skip a third read. But I have to say that I found the story entertaining. Jim Butcher knows how to tell a non-stop action story, and he managed to fill this one with interesting world building that includes really well-drawn cats. Seriously, he must be a felineophile to have such a nuanced understanding of cat behavior. A number of other characters have charming idiosyncrasies; I particularly like the magicians who must carry around wagons full of special items, and I like Gwen's self assurance and headstrong nature (although she's not afraid to learn new tricks). There's a lot more I'd like to learn about this world -- where did the spires come from? How did we get the steampunk trappings in this clearly magical world? so -- bring on the next volume!

I'll join in the consensus with both "obsessively readable" and "creepy". I couldn't put the book down, just what I needed in between heavier reading assignments for class. At first I was behind Jason's motivation for returning to his wife (save her from Jason 2!), but he definitely became more compulsive and stalker-ish. At least he didn't become as demented and homicidal as some of the other Jasons. Rob, I agree with your observation on the money situation as well -- lack of money was never a problem for long. But overall I thought this was an entertaining tale.