The Sword and Laser discussion
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TDSOH: Just started and laughed out loud...
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Tim
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rated it 4 stars
Nov 02, 2012 09:45AM
That the hellish version of a guardian angel is called an account executive.
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Yeah I had a similar thought.. :)
After all, who do you think created lawyers? (great line from the book)
Yes. I am absolutely loving this book. The account executive term just killed me.
I'm a few hours in and for some reason I'm just not getting into it. The drawn out explanations of angelic lore (modernized sure) are tiring. Please tell me the plot picks up later, I'm about to give up. Is it supposed to be Pratchett funny? Maybe the problem is I just read Good Omens.
Nohorse wrote: "Maybe the problem is I just read Good Omens."Interestingly, as I've been reading, I've been getting a Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch vibe from this, too. I wondered if it was just me. Sure, there are differences, but I can't help but think of Good Omens fairly often.
Nohorse wrote: "Is it supposed to be Pratchett funny?"I think it's actually supposed to be Jim Butcher entertaining. So far (chapter 10) I'd say it compares favorably to Dresden 1 & 2, but less so to later books in the series... which I guess is a promising start.
But yes, with the whole world weary angels/demons tired of the bureaucracy in heaven/hell, it does come off as a less funny Good Omens. I doubt it will get Pratchett funny any time soon.
Cloud jockey? Student government nerds with fangs? I love this book!
Sky wrote: "Nohorse wrote: "Is it supposed to be Pratchett funny?"I think it's actually supposed to be Jim Butcher entertaining. So far (chapter 10) I'd say it compares favorably to Dresden 1 & 2, but less s..."
I made the comparison to the Dresden Files almost as soon as I started reading it. I agree so far not as good as the later books but still really enjoyable.
I am finding it a mashup of NYPD Blue, Supernatural and Wings of Desire so far.
Julia wrote: "I made the comparison to the Dresden Files almost as soon as I started reading it. I agree so far not as good as the later books but still really enjoyable."Of course, most male-protagonist-driven urban fantasy is going to be compared to the Dresden Files sooner or later... but the tone of the book really slaps you in the face with it early on.
Aside from a few typos in the Kindle edition (really? 12.99 for a book with worse editing than some of the indie stuff I've read? For shame, Penguin Publishing, for shame.) I'm enjoying it as well.
I finally got a copy from the library-so far I'm really enjoying it! Some of the things these angels say has had me laughing out loud :P
Mod
That's a good point. That was a great show. I have season 1 on DVD.
Nohorse wrote: "I'm a few hours in and for some reason I'm just not getting into it. The drawn out explanations of angelic lore (modernized sure) are tiring. Please tell me the plot picks up later, I'm about to ..."Yes, the plot picks up later, specially after half the book.. But it starts picking up before that and slowly increases the pace.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't what one would call high intensity book. It is enjoyable but without question a light read.
Karly wrote: "I actually thought of Dead Like Me as I was reading it. Just the idea of heaven being, "it works that way because that's the way it has always worked." Bobby's cynicism reminds me of George, and Sa..."Now that you mention it does have that kind of vibe as well. Been awhile since I watched Dead Like Me so I didn't click to it until you mentioned it.
Definitely got the Dresden Files vibe from it at the get go. Very fun read.
Don't want to hate, but the exposition in this book is excessive, and not all that clever. I also like learning about a character through their actions and experiences, not being reminded over and over how God must have had a reason for making them the way they are, which was repeated no less than 3 times in the first five chapters. Also, I would think an Angel would have deeper statements about the nature of heaven and his existence than, " . . .maybe we only know as much about the real Heaven as a three-year-old knows about quantum physics." Sigh, I'm on page 91 right now. Hope I make it through.
I'm not quite halfway through and have been pleasantly surprised at how easy DSoH was to get into. I have very much enjoyed Tad Williams' other books but found several of them really difficult to get into. Particularly War of the Flowers, Shadowmarch, and Shadowplay to the extent that I lemmed it for the time being. Have not got that vibe this time around. Nor have I found there to be the density of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, or Otherland, which were both fantastic series, but just all around dense. The Dresden Files comparison is a good one, although IMO, Dresden is better.
I never read Dresden. I guess I will have to check it out.
The Supernatural similarities keep popping up. A demon called "Caz." References to "meat suits." A reference to "Leviathon" allbeit metaphorical. Bobby carries around a wad of fake ids.This book is going to seriously mess up my weekly Dean and Sam Winchester viewing.
Im rather enjoying the book. Not as much as The Iron Druid books or Jim Hines books for example but a good read for sure. It does amuse me.I really find myself liking The Countess of Cold Hands character...is it just a guy thing? :)
Tim wrote: "That the hellish version of a guardian angel is called an account executive."I LOL'd. Waiting for a reference to the "first evil"...Middle Management.
The lawyer jokes, etc., are kind of prosaic, but still funny. Also finding humor in some of the re-design of San Francisco, like the "creepy Gothic towers" of Stanford University.
I was personally impressed with how he drove down Skyline all the way to Santa Cruz at night and was still able to see... well, anything.
Leslie wrote: "Don't want to hate, but the exposition in this book is excessive, and not all that clever. I also like learning about a character through their actions and experiences, not being reminded over and over how God must have had a reason for making them the way they are, which was repeated no less than 3 times in the first five chapters. Also, I would think an Angel would have deeper statements about the nature of heaven and his existence than, " . . .maybe we only know as much about the real Heaven as a three-year-old knows about quantum physics." Sigh, I'm on page 91 right now. Hope I make it through."
I agree but I'm not even that far in. I'm going to try to get through another 1-2 chapters and if it continues to bore me, I'm lemming it.
Sky wrote: "Nohorse wrote: "Is it supposed to be Pratchett funny?"I think it's actually supposed to be Jim Butcher entertaining. So far (chapter 10) I'd say it compares favorably to Dresden 1 & 2, but less s..."
I am getting much more of a Dresdeny vibe as well. I'm not a Terry Pratchett fan, so I don't see the correlation. I think the portions of Good Omens that I liked the least seemed more Pratchett & less Gaiman.
Julia wrote: "Karly wrote: "I actually thought of Dead Like Me as I was reading it. Just the idea of heaven being, "it works that way because that's the way it has always worked." Bobby's cynicism reminds me of ..."I can see that, now that you mention it!
So I've always wanted to read fantasy/sci-fi books, and then found the Sword & Laser! So after listening to podcasts for the past few months - this is the first book I decided to jump in and read, and I am LOVING it! Don't know if it's because it's my first, and I have nothing to compare it to - but I am really enjoying it, had me laughing from the first page.
Mostly listening to this on audible, with occasional switching to my Kindle (this new sync feature is very cool.)Love some of the one-liners and throw-aways, e.g.:
"You show me what someone listens to, I’ll tell you everything you want to know about his soul. (For instance, a bunch of Nickelback albums would have indicated he never had a soul in the first place.)"
I am finding the first-person narrative style to be a bit grating. Williams seems to be going for a sort of noir-ish Marlowe-style, but it feels like you're getting stuck in Bobby Dollar's inner monologue.
Not a bad book but, again, leaning toward the prosaic/cliche in presenting the heavenly mythology.
I'm listening to the audible version, and the narrator is doing a really good job of bringing it to life (as it were).
Tim wrote: "I'm listening to the audible version, and the narrator is doing a really good job of bringing it to life (as it were)."Totally agree. His performance is jaw dropping.
I'm enjoying the Audible version a lot, too! Great narrator and the story is a lot of fun.
I'm about 2/3 through now, and I love what he does with the Countess - hell, I could fall for that voice! Female and English! More than makes up for the geographically challenged Solihull sisters, who seemed to commute between Liverpool and Dublin within the space of a few words...
For me, this book is like a hybrid of Dead Like Me (the dry, sarcastic humour) and Supernatural (the action and mythology)As someone who grew up in Birmingham, England and now live in Solihull (where the Solihull Sisters are meant to be from) I can definitely say that the attempted Brummie accents in the audiobook version are abysmal. Like terrifyingly bad and not eeven geographically accruate - they have the worst bits of cockney, scouse and irish.
I agree with the Supernatural similarities. After 8 seasons though Its probably time the Winchesters just died and stayed dead.
Jonathon wrote: "I can definitely say that the attempted Brummie accents in the audiobook version are abysmal. Like terrifyingly bad and not eeven geographically accruate - they have the worst bits of cockney, scouse and irish. "Agreed, not even the remotest hint of Brummie in there. I didn't really notice the Cockney, but Scouse and Irish, to be sure. Kept reminding me of the geographical mystery tour that was Russell Crowe in Robin Hood. Which was a shame, because the other, more generic accents he did were quite good, I thought.
An American equivalent might be: imagine they were the San Antonio Sisters. Now give them an accent that wanders between Chicago and Montreal...
