The Sword and Laser discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading - March 2017
Finished with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - 2 stars. Too many things bothering me, from the hair-tearing romance, the moody tropey whiny lead character, lack of agency and so on. But I have Jemisin's The Killing Moon ordered so hopefully it is closer to the quality of The Fifth Season.Still working my way through The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories By Philip K. Dick - I have a feeling that I will enjoy reading his short stories more than his novels.
Dara wrote: "Richard wrote: "Dara wrote: "I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth."
Whilst I did like it, I much preferred t..."
Part two was slightly better than part one - part three, well, it is like reading another novel. It is not an easy novel to read. It took me one and a half month.
Silvana wrote: "But I have Jemisin's The Killing Moon ordered so hopefully it is closer to the quality of The Fifth Season."I read Killing Moon recently, and just finished the sequel, The Shadowed Sun. I think if you liked the Fifth Season you'll like Killing Moon.
I'm currently reading Old Man's War because i needed a short book to read while i wait for Seven Surrenders to come out. First time reading Scalzi.
What do you think of Old Man's War, Brendan? I read all of the series recently which I suppose means (spoiler!) that I liked them.
I'm only about 3 chapters in so i'll have to get back to you on that. We're currently heading up the space elevator. Scalzi's writing style alternates between funny and eyerolling, which generally matches my experience with his blog/twitter.
Silvana wrote: "Part two was slightly better than part one - part three, well, it is like reading another novel. It is not an easy novel to read. It took me one and a half month."I hope it doesn't take me that long. But it just might.
Dara wrote: "Richard wrote: "Dara wrote: "I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth."Whilst I did like it, I much preferred t..."
Actually now that I flicked through Seveneves again I too did not get past part 1 of it, I found it hard to get through
I slogged through Seveneves. At the end I appreciated it and the lengthy research that went into making the story realistic on the astrophysics level. It would be a stretch to say I enjoyed it, though.
Seveneves was unfortunate. Stephenson's capable of better.
Interesting hearing everyone say they are/were struggling with Seveneves. I loved this one, flew through the first 2 parts especially. The sudden switch in feeling for the third part threw me at first, but I ended up enjoying that too once I made the mental switch. On the other hand, Snow Crash, which I know a lot of folks in the group loved, I bounced off of hard and DNF'd.He's clearly got quite of range of styles he writes in, which is great, but it makes it difficult to decide where to suggest anyone start with him.
I had a few problems with Seveneves:(view spoiler)
OTOH the use of physics was great, and I love the whip-snapping launchers.
I just finished reading, Hoplite, by Isaac Hooke, which is an excellent light read. It's about heavily armored soldiers in the space navy of the future. Before that, I read, Rainbow Dreams, by Mistral Dawn, and it's another easy read about a dystopian, space traveling society. I have been reading bits of, What If?, by Randall Munroe, and it's been entertaining.
I am finishing up The Blade Itself; I'm almost finished with that. Probably going to roll into Leviathan Wakes next since I have been going strong on fantasy for a bit.Joe Abercrombie's book is great, but I am partial to Grimdark. I will say that so far the characters seem to be dragged along by the plot rather than vice versa. I am about 75% through and waiting for some great reveal to tell me why Glotka or Luthar matter in anyway other than to just generally be terrible people.
So far this month, I read the new frontlines Fields of Fire ehh it was good but not great. and am working my way though SpecOps It appears I didn't post last month, had a few bad reads.
Wizard Scout - expecations weren't high...they were not met.
Some continuing yeah it's pretty good, with HMS Nightingale and Daughter of Dragons, and No Game, No Life Vol. 5.
A few really solid new entrees, with Spellmonger. And Columbus Day, with a note on Columbus Day to listen to the audiobook version.
Ohh yeah and the new Drew Hayes book Forging Hephaestus was amazing go read that.
Aaron wrote: "A few really solid new entrees, with Spellmonger."I'll have to let Terry know that he got a mention here in this thread. (His brother is married to my cousin.)
Finished Extracted by RR Haywood, an interesting concept but all I could think about was the extraction chamber on Gallifrey from Doctor Who when he saved Clara, and one of the main characters pissed me off for most of the book but the author does recognise this and provides an explanation so a pretty good read overall.For some reason I now have a strong desire to reread The Redemption of Althalus
Walter wrote: "Aaron wrote: "A few really solid new entrees, with Spellmonger."I'll have to let Terry know that he got a mention here in this thread. (His brother is married to my cousin.)"
Be sure to tell him, while I did enjoy the book quite a bit; I am also hugely disappointing it wasn't like The Big Short but with more wizards and magic.
Aaron wrote: "Walter wrote: "Aaron wrote: "A few really solid new entrees, with Spellmonger."I'll have to let Terry know that he got a mention here in this thread. (His brother is married to my cousin.)"
Be s..."
The Michael Lewis book about the 2008 banking crisis?
Um, ok.
I'm so happy! Browsing Amazon, I found there's a sequel to Starship Grifters!! It's called Aye, Robot! Will start reading it when I get home from work!
Looks like there's a novella and a short-story set in the same universe as well, and the author has other books too!
Dara wrote: "I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth."I am about 40% in and have to say I have struggled - the whole concept is fantastic but the style is leaving me dry...Some great bits...but a lot that is not so much!
I am going to stick with it though.
Paul wrote: "Dara wrote: "I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth."I am about 40% in and have to say I have struggled - the..."
I'm about the same. I'm finding other things to do rather than read and that's a problem.
Walter wrote: "Aaron wrote: "Walter wrote: "Aaron wrote: "A few really solid new entrees, with Spellmonger."I'll have to let Terry know that he got a mention here in this thread. (His brother is married to my c..."
Monger means seller...I initially clicked on it because I thought it would be a hybrid of fantasy and economic intrigue.
Aaron wrote: "Walter wrote: "Aaron wrote: "Walter wrote: "Aaron wrote: "A few really solid new entrees, with Spellmonger."I'll have to let Terry know that he got a mention here in this thread. (His brother is ..."
Ah. Just wondered because I'm a major fan of Michael Lewis, and loved The Big Short (both the book and the movie).
Dara wrote: "Paul wrote: "Dara wrote: "I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth."I am about 40% in and have to say I have st..."
That's how I felt about Seveneves. I'm glad I read it, but it was tough.
Picked up the most recent Destroyermen novel, Straits of Hell, at the library yesterday. So far it's battle planning and reminding us where we left off, but the world map has intriguing new areas so I'm hopeful we'll get to finally meet some long-hinted-at new players.Also picked up the massive Bookburners, which seems to be about a secret organization within the Catholic Church that hunts monsters. I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, so I hope it's good.
I finished The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, a novel that is more like a folktale retelling, similar to Uprooted but a more lush setting. It isn't something that is usually my thing but I enjoyed it.
Finished the fourth Heechee book and on to the fifth. The fourth is really the end of the series, with two add-ons. Even fans of Gateway note that they are unneeded in reviews and comments.The fourth has some modestly interesting ideas about cosmology and energy based life forms. Robinette Broadhead continues to be an unlikable protagonist. The fifth book features new characters, but Pohl's take on gender relations continues to be atrocious. I am glad to have had something to read during a slow period but little else.
The best part of Gateway - the sneaky horror of the place and its mysterious spaceships - is undone by later novels, only for an attempted replacement with hamhanded tropes. Pohl goes to the well over and over again, revisiting his biggest success. I would recommend these only to big fans of Gateway or Pohl in general, or people like me with sleep issues who need big honking blocks of text to fill up the sleepless periods.
Finished with Moon over Soho, still fun but was not as good as Midnight Riot.Starting with The Last Policeman by another Ben, this time Ben H. Winters. Gonna compare the pre-apocalypse thing with Seveneves.
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. Probably the best combination fantasy/racism narrative a white guy from Seattle can write.A Guile of Dragons by James Enge. The first in a prequel trilogy to Enge's Morlock Ambrosius trilogy. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this, since there were a part or two that really confused me narratively, but I really enjoyed the original Morlock trilogy when I read it 5+ years ago, so I will continue with this. I definitely recommend the original trilogy, starting with Blood of Ambrose. Sort of an old-school sword & sorcery tale.
Finished Trial by Fire, it was just ok. There was some cool things that could have been explored more I think. Was going to jump into Sins of Empire but instead started Prudence. I love the humor in her books.
Finished Morning Star. It was a very satisfying conclusion to the Red Rising trilogy. Pierce Brown is expanding on his world with a new trilogy that takes place ten years later starting with Iron Gold, so I can't wait until that gets released in October.Finally got around to reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. It was different? I liked it? I enjoyed it on some level, but I'm not sure how I feel about it overall. Started The Broken Kingdoms immediately after, and I'm experiencing a bit of whiplash since I wasn't expecting it to follow a completely different main character.
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I'm about halfway through Sins and it's really good so far!
Danielle wrote: "Finally got around to reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. It was different? I liked it? I enjoyed it on some level, but I'm not sure how I feel about it overall. Started The Broken Kingdoms immediately after, and I'm experiencing a bit of whiplash since I wasn't expecting it to follow a completely different main character."I really enjoyed the entire trilogy when I read it last year. I didn't mind the change in character-focus, I think it makes sense given what happens at the end of the last one.
Danielle wrote: "Finished Morning Star. It was a very satisfying conclusion to the Red Rising trilogy. Pierce Brown is expanding on his world with a new trilogy that..."Pierce Brown announced that Iron Gold will likely be out January, 2018:
https://www.facebook.com/PierceBrownA...
Having finished Gateway very early in the month, I'm using my audio book time to re-read Northern Lights AKA The Golden Compass. I plan to get through at least the main trilogy before the new The Book of Dust is released later in the year.For all that I loved these books when I first read them, I realised that I now remember virtually nothing of the events that transpired and need a reminder!
Finished Old Man's War, which I think wasn't for me. Scalzi tries his hardest to breathe some life into some very worn-out tropes but unless you happen to love the whole boot camp schtick its hard to see the appeal. 3/5 for some funny lines and aliens.Missed a few hours sleep because Seven Surrenders was so engrossing. I'm just crazy about this series, and the second book ratcheted up the stakes, the body count and the moral ambiguity. 5/5 for names like Cardigan Sniper and Apollo Mojave.
Currently reading: nothing, will probably pick up either something by PK Dick or LM Bujold next.
Finished The Demon and the City and The Wrong Dead Guy. The first was good fun but you need to read the first in the series to really appreciate it. The Wrong Dead Guy was great fun and shows that Kadrey has more than Sandman Slim up his sleeve. A fun caper/heist plot crossed with urban fantasy crossed with dysfunctional bureaucracy...and a good dash of humor.Next - the new Scalzi I think. Or the new Neal Asher. NEITHER OF WHICH IS OUT.
I might just read the Gene Wolfe Book of the New Sun finally since the first two volumes were the free giveaway from Tor this month.
A few books I've finished lately are:Gateway - I liked the Big Dumb Object trope but the execution wasn't all there for me
Sharp Ends - Abercrombie hasn't really hooked me with any of his novels yet, but this story collection is good even without having read all of his First Law books
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements - Good chemistry non-fiction
I'm currently in the middle of Nightmares And Dreamscapes by Stephen King and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Brendan wrote: "Finished Old Man's War, which I think wasn't for me. Scalzi tries his hardest to breathe some life into some very worn-out tropes but unless you happen to love the whole boot camp scht..."Curious if you like Scalzi's other work and just this story wasn't good or you don't like Scalzi's writing in general.
Eric wrote: "Brendan wrote: "Finished Old Man's War, which I think wasn't for me. Scalzi tries his hardest to breathe some life into some very worn-out tropes but unless you happen to love the whol..."Never read anything else by Scalzi.
Started The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. A hundred pages in, and I'm not quite clicking with Abercrombie's prose. To keep the sword and the laser going at the same time, I'm also reading The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald, though I'm not far enough in to comment on it just yet.
I found Old Man's War amusing even as I laughed at things like a double-tap being a revolutionary idea. Er...you know nothing about guns, do you Scalzi? Beyond that, I found Android's Dream amusing if predictable, and Redshirts sly and hilarious.
Brendan wrote: "Eric wrote: "Brendan wrote: "Finished Old Man's War, which I think wasn't for me. Scalzi tries his hardest to breathe some life into some very worn-out tropes but unless you happen to ..."Fair enough. If OMW hasn't put you off from him entirely, there are essentially 3 other books to consider. To see his take on fantasy-SF (eg like Star Wars) check out The God Engines. It's a pretty quick read, I think it's a novella. It was my entry to Scalzi via borrowing it from the library. To see his satire/deconstruction of Star Trek - check out Redshirts. I didn't think that joke had enough legs to take to through an entire novel, but it did. And also it's being turned into a TV show. For urban fantasy-SF-Crime Noir - check out The Dispatcher. Originally it was only an audiobook, but I'm pretty sure you can also pick it up as a regular book now.
I think OMW and Redshirts are similar in tone. The God Engines reminded me more of a Firefly-type vibe. And The Dispatcher was pretty standard fare noir-ish and pretty different in tone although I think every book he writes has a witty/smart-ass character as a lead or lead-adjacent character.
Just finished Massively Multiplayer and it actually was better than other books in the same genre. Just about done with Black Mercury and about to start The Machine God in the same series. Both came from a bundle that did not include the other book in the series. Interesting series in that each book is written by a different author using a shared world. (I guess similar to Wild Cards in that respect) Having not started The Machine God, I'm not sure how much the books in the series lean on each other, but I haven't had any problems with feeling lost.
Also reading Whiskey and Water. Again, some bundle included this and not the first book in the series. While I can tell that I'm missing out on some back-history with the characters, it appears Ms. Bear wrote this book so people can jump in. But it has such a dense assumed knowledge of fey stuff that I constantly feel lost and confused - and would be more lost and confused if I hadn't read a bunch of fey lore books over the past few years thanks to various ebook bundles.
I continue to have Don Quixote unfinished, but I haven't touched it since last year. I do enjoy how modern it sounds and it has meta aspects and everything. But I've been more intrigued by my other books. Perhaps when the weather warms up and I can take walks after lunch, I'll start it up again.
edited for clarity
Eric wrote: "Just finished Massively Multiplayer and it actually was better than other books in the same genre. "
What genre is that by the way. At first I thought it would be another lit-RPG thing, but it seems a ton more cyberthriller than those are.
Aaron wrote: "Eric wrote: "Just finished Massively Multiplayer and it actually was better than other books in the same genre. "
What genre is that by the way. At first I thought it would be anot..."
If I had to categorize it, I'm not 100% sure I could.
There's a bit of whatever genre is 20-year-old struggles to find sense of purpose.
A bit of let's follow some characters around in a virtual world as they go through their quest.
Some play with the chosen one tropes.
And at the company a bit of cyber-thriller, but I'd go more with cyber-detective story than thriller. Someone's messing with the game and they have to uncover who and the motives.
And it all comes together near the end.
The God Engines is a different writing style for Scalzi for sure. However, I'd be very reluctant to compare it any way, even genre, to Star Wars since I think you could easily give someone the wrong impression. Personally, I'd say it was closer to taking the vilest parts of Game of Thrones and setting it in space. Or maybe a Sado-masochist dream set in space, or just torture porn set in space. It was set in space.Off the top of my head, I can't think of another piece by Scalzi that has no wit. No matter if he is writing comedy, action, or political commentary, he always supplies the wit. It's one of the things some people don't like about his work, and that is fine. God Engines has no wit. And this is besides being beyond grim and darker than black. But obviously some people did like it since it was nominated for a Hugo when it came out.
And while I don't love every one of Scalzi's other works, I've enjoyed them all, and will continue to read them.
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The Sword and Laser
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Whilst I did like it, I much preferred the way that [boo..."
I found part one a bit of a slog. I haven't started part two yet. I keep finding other things to do instead of reading - not a good sign.