Jlawrence’s Comments (group member since Mar 08, 2010)

Jlawrence’s comments from the The Sword and Laser group.

Hi all, we've arranged with Borderlands Books in San Francisco to have regular monthly S&L Bookclub meetups there!

Supreme Sword Veronica will attend whenever her work travel is not taking her to faraway locales, and maybe Supreme Laser Tom can occasionally teleport in, too.

The first will be Thursday, July 31 from 6pm - 8pm.

Come to discuss the July pick, Dawn by Octavia Butler, and chat about anything else Sword & Laser-y. Borderlands will also stock up on whatever our August pick will be, and you'll be able to grab a copy at a 10% discount!

After this first one, the meetups will likely be the last Monday of each month.

Hope to see you there - you can RSVP here:
https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

Octavia Butler has been on my to-read list for a long time. Excited to read any of these.

Started In the Cities of Coin and Spice, the second book of Catherynne Valente's amazing Orphan's Tales. Also began Paladin of Souls, the follow-up to S&L past pick The Curse of Chalion.

I was almost finished with The Road to Science Fiction Volume 1, but I appear to have lost it. There's no ebook version, and, insult to injury, it's a *library* book. :/ (EDIT: Ohh, I'm wrong, there IS a (pricey) Kindle version. Doesn't save me from the library fee, though).

How about you?

"My mother? Let me tell you about my mother..."

Thanks, terpkristin. I like that kind of technical analysis/nit-picking because I always learn something from it.

On the subject of Gravity, astronomer Phil Plait exposed a lot of its technical flaws in his review, but still found it a film worth recommending. He doesn't have your Sandra Bullock dislike to contend with as well, though. ;)

Darren wrote: "I would watch a hundred Anchorman 2s, for the chance of one Aliens. And have."

Haha, fair enough! But Aliens was a different director and a different approach than its predecessor - it was an awesome sf war movie whereas Alien was an awesome sf horror movie. That's part of why it was such a good sequel.

Blade Runner is so tied to its iconic dystopian atmosphere and noir approach, that, especially with Scott directing and Ford (probably maybe) returning, I see the sequel trying to re-capture that same kind of magic, and that just sets the bar so high. I'd love to be happily surprised by it, though...

terpkristin wrote: "Well, here's the short version: It has some major technical issues, even trying to see into the future of what it COULD be like if we reverted to an Apollo-era like level of funding and motivation for space. Sometimes, the text more or less contradicted itself, saying in one place that something was more or less trivial, the next time using it as a plot device to insert more drama into the book. The book had a lot "right," too, even if it overlooked some things (like radiation or standard design protocols or the shear strength of bolts). "

terpkristin, could you do a *bit* of a long version? :) I'd love some more specifics of both what Weir got right and wrong in the book's technical details.

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni57188083

Welllll...I just don't know. On one hand, I'm glad a sequel would involve Scott, one of the original screenwriters, and now possibly Ford. On the other, I kind of wish a sequel was not happening at all - the original works so well as its own standalone, flawed-but-amazing classic thing.

Well, Ridley Scott is great at science-fiction when he has a great script (Blade Runner, Alien) and, well, mixed when he has a weak script (Prometheus. Actually, if you watch its deleted scenes, it's clear the film could have been stronger if they hadn't cut so much to make it seem more 'mysterious' - but it still would have been flawed).

I'm a little scared that Scott might bring Lindehof in to rewrite of Goddard's script...

Micah wrote: "Jlawrence wrote: "I'm finishing up Fool's Errand for my meet-IRL bookclub, and A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition (research for my own fantasy setting), as well as the incredib..."

Jlawrence - if you are looking for another book on Medieval Heresy I would suggest Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation by Malcom Lambert. I had a class on the Reformations this semester and my professor had us read through that as a background piece. Full of good information on a crap ton of movements from the 11th to the 15th centuries. "

Micah, thanks for that suggestion - I'll check that out!

I'm finishing up Fool's Errand for my meet-IRL bookclub, and A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition (research for my own fantasy setting), as well as the incredible Sword & Laser Anthology!

How about you?

For Suarez: Any changes in the tech world since writing Daemon that greatly surprise or frighten you? Any changes that you specifically would have loved to incorporate into the novel?

For Weir: Was the film Robinson Crusoe on Mars (or the original Robinson Crusoe book itself) an inspiration or influence on The Martian?

Julián wrote: "Jlawrence wrote: "I agree that Kovacs' hookups in this novel don't totally match the harem anime pattern, but I also agree that, particularly with Ortega, they shortchange the characters and story ..."

Oh dang, I forgot that! Sorry, Rob, that was indeed extra harem-y.

Just saw it. Really well-done doc: excellent interviews (Dan O'Brannon's story of meeting Jodorowsky was especially funny), I loved the way they animated some of the storyboards and paintings to give you feel of what could have been, and Jodorowsky himself is magnetic and often hilarious.

It's actually incredible the film got as far as it did (heck, I still don't understand how his Holy Mountain got made - has to be one of most high-production value/elaborate surrealist film ever made - but then again he was riding the perfectly favorable counterculture wave at the time), and all the collaborative creativity he inspired with his vision and personality is inspiring.

If he *had* pulled together that last $5 million dollars, who knows? Given some of the intricate and huge set pieces in Holy Mountain, I'm convinced he could have pulled off some of his dream, but it seems likely the technology of the time would have brought other parts of his batty, soaring vision crashing down. But it's fascinating to think about...

Emily wrote: "It's definitely tough. Of course, you want to stay on track with your book club, and that will probably make skipping some of the books worth it. But, personally, I think that having the emotional history with the characters in Tawny Man is a big part of what makes it a great read. Not that it's not enjoyable on it's own, but it makes more sense within the wider context. You know?

But I would still recommend going back and reading the rest of Farseer and Liveship Traders when you're done. Liveship Traders is one of my FAVORITE series of all time. And Farseer is up there too. So, hopefully this will get you pumped for more of the Elderlings books."

That all makes sense, and, yes, if I like it as much as I suspect I will (even when missing out on some context and emotional history), I'll definitely head back to the earlier books.

Rob wrote: "I don't recommend skipping ahead to Tawney man without having at least finished Farseer. Personally I wouldn't skip Liveship either, but that can more easily be done.

I guess if you don't care about spoiling Farseer you can probably read it and not be too lost, but I'm not sure? "

Well, from what I've read in some other reviews, Fool's Errand spends a fair amount of time summarizing what previously happened with Fitz through conversations of various characters. I'm hoping that's true, and we can just prepare to be Farseer-spoiled!

Alex wrote: "I've started making the book here and am updating it. Sword & Laser Anthology

If anybody can come up with a better write-up...I haven't found anything from T&V."

Alex, I sent you a PM with the blurb from the back of the book.

Emily wrote: "JJlawrence wrote: "I'm about to start Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb, while still finishing up God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World and..."

You are in for a treat. I don't want to talk it up too much, but I really loved all of Robin Hobb's books. Have you read any of her other stuff? "

The only other Hobb I've read is Assassin's Apprentice, which I definitely enjoyed. Fool's Errand is the April pick for a meet-in-real-life bookclub I'm in, and at first I was worried I'd miss a lot by "jumping ahead" to the Tawny Man series without having read the other two books in the Farseer Trilogy, but from what I've gathered, it's fine to read Fool's Errand even without knowing the Farseer Trilogy at all, you just miss some extra layers to certain places/scenes. Do you agree?

I agree that Kovacs' hookups in this novel don't totally match the harem anime pattern, but I also agree that, particularly with Ortega, they shortchange the characters and story in the way they're done - made me feel less engaged after that happened. (view spoiler)[Though Morgan does throw some "Ryker's sleeve (as opposed to anything really about Kovacs) made them both do it" ideas in there at the end, once Kovacs is half in another sleeve, but even that is not fully developed (hide spoiler)].

Rob, one correction, though:

(view spoiler)[
Rob wrote: "At one point the protagonist literally goes to an island of clones of women modified to be even more super duper sexy for an orgastic vacation"

Actually, Miriam Bancroft *offers* that sexual getaway to Kovacs (the modified clones were clones of her), but he refuses. So that *truly* harem-y bit was avoided.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm about to start Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb, while still finishing up God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World and The Road to Science Fiction 1 from last month.

How about you?