The Sword and Laser discussion

Jenny wrote: "I don't understand the concept of "trying too hard," what does that mean to you?"
In the context of "Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery", he put in too many twists and turns IMO.
I am not sure if he wanted to parody the genre.

I can say if I had not joined this book club I would never in a million years looked at the cover and thought "maybe I should pick that up." It would have been "that looks like an arty pile of $#@%." Maybe they were trying too hard with the cover? But I'm enjoying the first chapter so far. I've finished the August read so this has moved up as my main read now.

Woohoo main read status! I'm waiting to get through the Hobb and a reread of Storm Front before picking it back up. But soon!

Temporarily out of stock at b&n.

Done.
I have to admit I enjoyed some chapters / stories more than others.
Thumbs up: Letters from Zedelghem, The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, An Orison of Sonmi~451
Meh: The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing, Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery
Thumbs down: Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After
Somehow I can't shake the feeling that I have read or seen better incarnations of the all these stories.
(view spoiler)[There is no reveal (apart from that all of the protagonists are reincarnations of the same soul), but non is necessary, since the common theme of the stories is holding the book together.
(The connection of the stories via the reading of books / watching of movies is a nice gimmick.)
According to wikipedia Mitchell has said of the book: "The book's theme is predacity ... individuals prey on individuals, groups on groups, nations on nations."
I have to concede that he delivered an exhaustive elaboration of his theme. (hide spoiler)]
David Mitchell gets an A+ for effort, intention and concept, the narrators an A for the excellent narration and the book a B- / C+ for entertainment.

I have read the first chapter tonight and admit it was a struggle for me. Keep in mind I am someone who enjoys a challenge, and Shakespeare etc but the first chapter was ...difficult.
I will not quit though.

3 chapters in. Still enjoying it. I found the 2nd chapter a struggle at the start but then got into the swing of it after a few pages. I like how the style of language changes as we advance in time. It will be interesting to see how he connects the 2nd half of the stories.

I haven't had a chance to start it yet. :( The second half of The Rise of Endymion is taking longer than I thought it would. Is anyone going to start any threads for it, maybe starting with Renegade Cloud Atlas: _____ ?

Currently reading "Sloosha's Crossing. . ." So far its my favourite. There's something about the Broken English I'm finding inventive I guess. I agree with Michael, none of these stories are anything special so far, but they are still just so well told I'm enjoying the read. Mitchell's subtle use of humour just cracks me up, especially in this sixth chapter.

Okay, so I'm in the second story now with Robert Frobisher writing letters to Sixsmith. While i'm still not thrilled about anything in this book, this section as a lot more readable (at least from my English-as-a-second-language standpoint).

I've seen the movie trailer so I have some idea of where this is going but just from what I've read - nothing really makes much sense yet.
For some reason though, I am intrigued.

Just finished the second half of "An Orison of Somni - 451." So as we start to reverse and go back in time it becomes apparent that not only do the characters view their previous life through some medium like film or letters or holograph - but we also get a foreshadowing of their future life -
I said I hoped that Siddhartha would reincarnate me in her colony.
Very Cool

I enjoy this chapter the best because I used to live in Hawaii. The only thing is I don't know how it can revert to tribal days considering that Hawaii and its original inhabitants have been irreversibly modernized, maybe with the exception of the inhabitants of Ni'ihau, who are the very few native Hawaiians left. They still live in primitive conditions. Maybe the story can implicitly evolve from that.

The written wording of the native Hawaiian dialect is accurate, but the reading by the narrator in the audio is off. For someone who has not grown up in Hawaii that is difficult to master, so I think the narrator did a good job considering. I used to live in Hawaii, and I can't imitate the Hawaiian accent.

Michael wrote: "Thumbs down: Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After"

Aloha wrote: "The written wording of the native Hawaiian dialect is accurate, but the reading by the narrator in the audio is off. "
I think the language played a part in why I didn't enjoy this story. As I mentioned earlier I didn't feel that his take on the (post-)apocalyptic genre added anything interesting for me.
Of course I'm missing all the background knowledge about the setting of the story.
Your comment confirms my sentiment that he really put a lot of effort into this book, (which made it less accessible for the casual reader.)
I probably liked "Letters from Zedelghem" better because it takes place at a time and location I am more interested in and familiar with.

I've just gotten to Slooshas and haven't read it yet.

I've gone into this book not knowing what to expect, and am still clueless.

Not a bad ride so far, though.

He did an amazing job on that. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language has interesting discussions on bastardized English speech with grammatical structure that is actually complete, even if it seems to not be complete to those who are well-versed in formal English.

Michael wrote: "Aloha wrote: "The written wording of the native Hawaiian dialect is accurate, but the reading by the narrator in the audio is off. "
I think the language played a part in why I didn't enjoy this st..."

Jenny wrote: "I'm going to re-read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell starting in August. I figured a bunch of people would be doing it too, so I declared a renegade read! I'm still going to read Assassin's Apprentic..."

This was a very very wise thing to do. If you can, you might want to join her.

I'm join in (as well as read Assassin's Apprentice) - just need to finish The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Neverness first.

I noticed Veronica added the next 'basic' sf read.

Aloha wrote: "The only thing is I don't know how it can revert to tribal days considering that Hawaii and its original inhabitants have been irreversibly modernized"

I think that advancing technology is not a result of advancing intelligence but rather accumulated knowledge stored and passed on to the next generation. If you are in a situation where your access to that accumulated information is cut off then a lot of technologies we take for granted would simply disappear until they are rediscovered.
For example if you strand a group of plumbers on an island, how long and how many generations before they are capable of generating electricity again? The first generation might have first hand knowledge of electricity, but not being electricians or engineers themselves and lacking materials their children will have no concept of electricity.
What would happen if we wiped every written record from the face of the planet - lets say for example all our knowledge moved from books to electronic format and got wiped by an EMP war. The war also scatters humanity into pockets of survivors. Not all communities will have engineers or builders or scientists so one could imagine over a generation or two being forced to live in caves and use whatever one can get their hands on as tools etc.

Anyway, I like how this story is tied to the original. Both have tribal societies and Ewing accidentally discovers a place where the dead are carved into wood much like the "icons" in the sixth story.

I think how a society ends up after an apocalypse that wipes out information depends on the environment and resources, both material and intellectual. Survival depends on using what we need and discarding what we don't need, Evolution 101. So, if plumbing is not needed, then that information may be discarded, or maybe the information can be modified to contribute to a comfortable living situation. I think the basics of plumbing can be useful even in a primitive environment. For example, ancient irrigation system evolved from what I consider plumbing. We've always had engineers from ancient times that enabled humans to settle down from being nomads.

As far as the bastardization of language, it depends on your point of view. Language may seem bastardized, but human language development is such that language is actually complete even if it does sound unusual to the system you're used to. For example, some English people think that Americans bastardize the English language, but it is merely an evolvement of language.

David Sven wrote: "Aloha wrote: "The only thing is I don't know how it can revert to tribal days considering that Hawaii and its original inhabitants have been irreversibly modernized"

I think that advancing technol..."

Tom wrote: "This was a very very wise thing to do. If you can, you might want to join her. "
Wise... or psychic. ;)

Loved it and happy to remain involved with the discussion.

My Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

80% in. I'm at the second half of the Luisa Rey part, and it is a snoozer. I've read better thrillers. It doesn't have the flair of the good thriller writers out there. I can't wait to get past this part.

Aloha wrote: "80% in. I'm at the second half of the Luisa Rey part, and it is a snoozer. I've read better thrillers. It doesn't have the flair of the good thriller writers out there. I can't wait to get past..."
I felt exactly the same way.

Aloha wrote: "80% in. I'm at the second half of the Luisa Rey part, and it is a snoozer. I've read better thrillers. It doesn't have the flair of the good thriller writers out there. I can't wait to get past..."

I think I enjoyed the relationships and connections between the stories more than the stories themselves. Oh and the language and attitudes particularly of the first and last story I enjoyed. Luisa Rey on the other hand was plain everyday language, mediocre plot - I was more interested in the stuff that connected her to the other stories and a little "aha" moment about her that came at the end of the next story "Letters From Zedelgham."

David Sven wrote: "I think I enjoyed the relationships and connections between the stories more than the stories themselves."
I have to admit I thought of them more as gimmicks.
IMO, the common theme of the stories suffices to hold them together. I usually don't care much for supernatural elements.
It felt a bit like recognizing actors who I like in TV shows in movies. The feeling of recognition is nice but on its own doesn't make a great movie.

It's all devices. The trick is to make it so seamless that it's not noticeable. Stephen King at his best makes me get lost in the foreshadowing and movement of his story. At his worst, I notice when he's pushing me into the next scene or trying to make me feel a certain emotion. In the same way, not all postmodernist books are equal. Some of them are so discordant you're never sure where you are until you're done with the book. Once you're done, though, a certain kind of insight washes over you. I get a high from that type of ah-hah! moments. Whether postmodernist or traditional, the story and the writing should be top notch. Even in a novel with unusual structure, I can still tell when a story is subpar.

I'm in!

I'm I the only one that gets this mixed up with The Cloud Roads?

LOL. I can imagine you going, "Where's the shapeshifter?"

Tamahome wrote: "I'm I the only one that gets this mixed up with The Cloud Roads?"

Tamahome wrote: "I'm I the only one that gets this mixed up with The Cloud Roads?"

This is the extended version

I also call it 'Cloud Maps' sometimes.

Tamahome wrote: "I also call it 'Cloud Maps' sometimes."

That would be Google maps

My review for Cloud Atlas:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Liked. Although I just skimmed it until I finish the book. :)

Thanks, Tamahome!

Nice review Aloha!

Thanks, David!
David Sven wrote: "Nice review Aloha!"

That's the point. It's about continuity and cycle, a repetition, predominantly in this case of (view spoiler)[the predatory nature (hide spoiler)].

Troy wrote: "I have to say I was really disappointed with this book. Perhaps my expectations were to high with the reviews read and the trailer looking so good, but I was glad to be done this one.

[spoilers r..."

50% through and I have found the writing in this book amazing so far! One of the best books I have read all year. Thanks Jenny :)

Tipper27 wrote: "50% through and I have found the writing in this book amazing so far! One of the best books I have read all year. Thanks Jenny :)"
Hooray! I hope to join in soon! I need to find all the e-mails I wrote about this thing the first time I read it.

I'm a third into the book and liking it more and more. The Luisa Rey mystery was really good and I'm glad we've left behind the heavy style of 19th century letter writing.

So far, I pay a lot of attention to the little hints of how everything ties together. And while there is always one little clue to the story that came before, I have the impression (and hope) that Mitchell has something bigger in store for us for the ending.

Also: Surprised at how much the movie trailer gives away.
Still, I'd also like to send a big Thank You your way, Jenny. This book has been sitting on my TBR for so long and I needed that little push to finally pick it up. You and the trailer did it for me. ;)

Linguana wrote: "Also: Surprised at how much the movie trailer gives away."
That's why I stopped watching trailers. I only watched the one for Cloud Atlas afterwards.

@Michael: I'm also going to be more careful. But for some reason, despite the many spoiler-ish moments in the Cloud Atlas trailer, I don't really feel cheated. It's more like "Oh, that's what that scene was about" moments.

The problem is remembering scenes from the trailer, which didn't make much sense at the time, during the film / book. (view spoiler)[You already know how the car chase in the Luisa Rey mystery is going to end since you have seen the car plummeting into the river. (hide spoiler)]

Now that I've read the book, I want see the trailer. I think people who worry about spoilers should not be reading reviews and watching other info. on the book, except for maybe the publisher's summary. I read reviews in order to compare other's impressions about the book with mine. I don't like wasting time reading reviews that don't really add any more insight into the book. I have too many other creative writing I want to read. I write my reviews based on what I'd like to see other reviews contain, which is someone trying to thoughtfully analyze what they've read.

I also feel that people who complain about spoilers should not be popping into threads discussing the book until they're done reading the book. What's the use of having a thread discussing what you've read if you can't discuss it. It really irks me when people pop into a discussion clearly marked that it's about the book then whine about spoileries.

It seems that it should be people who worry about spoilers' responsibility to make sure that they don't do things that will risk them getting spoilers like don't go into threds about the book, don't read reviews, etc., instead of expecting the world to censor themselves for them. I really hate discussions not being the best or as thorough as they can be because of these whiny people.

Okay, I got my pet peeve off my chest.

@Michael: That's exactly the scene I was thinking of.

@Aloha: Wow, isn't that kind of harsh? I mean, I don't like spoilers (for obvious reasons) but what else are reviews for, if not to help undecided potential readers decide on whether to read the book or not. Most reviews I read are spoiler-free and this particular trailer, while giving away some things, still didn't tell the entire story.
Also, it depends on the book. If someone tells me the end of Pride and Prejudice, it's still worth the read.

As for the "not going into threads of unfinished books" here - that's just insane. Why can't there be progress threads where people hide spoilers (like here) and, if you like, one "I'm done, here there be spoilers" thread? Nobody's asking the world to censor itself, it's just common courtesy to not spoil a book for other people.

I've just started. I've read about the first six percent. It's good so far though I haven't encountered any scifi elements.