The Sword and Laser discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading - October 2017
The Clockwork rocket gets through all of that to delve into some pretty interesting world building. A major plot point is developing birth control (which in the Clockwork world is a really big deal). I enjoyed it and have enjoyed most of his work.
Yeah, he's a good author in some respects, I just found that you have to really love that he delves into the core ideas in his work and how hard SF they are in order to like it. I found his characters thin and one dimensional last I tried him. Has that gotten better?Anyone into very hard SF should, I think, try him. At the idea level he's as imaginative as it gets but be prepared for flat characters unless he's upgraded that part of his game and plot that serves the ideas. But the ideas are often really mind-blowing.
I don't think I've ever read one of Egan's books. I have read some of his short story collections. I remember Wang's Carpets being pretty hard SF and popping with ideas.
I finished The Tiger’s Daughter, I really enjoyed the story but it seemed to, quite understandably, hit a lot of sensitive issues. Now I'm moving on to Who Fears Death and Orbital Cloud, excited to get back to some hard sci-fi before Persepolis Rising is released. Also Barbary Station is coming soon (!!!!) an next year promises Gnomon. So much to read!
Rick wrote: "Yeah, he's a good author in some respects, I just found that you have to really love that he delves into the core ideas in his work and how hard SF they are in order to like it. I found his charact..."The last one (Dichronauts) was worse than usual. His early books have better characterisation then his later ones. The Clockwork Rocket universe is about as good as it gets for character development.
I think his work may end up getting mined for ideas as he has some brilliant ones.
Just finished Provenance ★★★☆☆. A good read but not as strong as the Ancillary series. The blurb on the book comparing Leckie to Banks is appropriate though. Her Raddich universe has the same sort of feel and she does great aliens.
Iain, your first < is flipped, which is why your link is now bad. Also, you don't need to type up the link code when you post--you can use the "add book/author" link by a comment to add book-links more quickly without the possibility of a malformed link.
David wrote: "Iain, your first < is flipped, which is why your link is now bad. Also, you don't need to type up the link code when you post--you can use the "add book/author" link by a comment to add book-links ..."Ta
Thanks for the comments, peeps. I might have to read Clockwork Rocket if only for the reverse time dilation concept. That's a howler. Reminds me obliquely of The Practice Effect where the 2nd law of Thermodynamics went backwards.
John (Taloni) wrote: "Thanks for the comments, peeps. I might have to read Clockwork Rocket if only for the reverse time dilation concept. That's a howler. Reminds me obliquely of The Practice Effect where the 2nd law o..."Glad my brief account of Lemming this book sparked such lively discussion! I hope you enjoy it more than I did.
In a break from SFF, I’m listening to Red Dragon. It’s a little strange coming to it from the Hannibal TV show because I can’t help visualising the characters in their TV incarnations- which is jarring when they’re the wrong gender or race!
Ruth wrote: "In a break from SFF, I’m listening to Red Dragon. It’s a little strange coming to it from the Hannibal TV show because I can’t help visualising the characters in their TV incarnations-..."I'm halfway through season 3 of Hannibal and don't want it to end. It's amazing.
A friend of mine talked me into a joint reading of It.... Otherwise, I just started listening to Sheepfarmer's Daughter.
The Last Wish was fun, but I think lost something in translation. I'll likely play more games before I read more in the series.The Bear and the Nightingale was also enjoyable but not something that compelled me to continue the series. Pretty, but I'm much more interested in Deathless than this series.
Gonna finish both Shards of Honor and Equal Rites soon. I'm really enjoying them both so far, issues and all. Also enjoying and almost done with Metamorphoses for the...I don't know now. Collectively maybe third time? I think this edition has really good translations.
Dara wrote: "Ruth wrote: "In a break from SFF, I’m listening to Red Dragon. It’s a little strange coming to it from the Hannibal TV show because I can’t help visualising the characters in their TV ..."Hannibal is one of my favourite shows of the last few years- dark, disturbing, and totally gorgeous to look at. Unfortunately like many good things it ended far too soon! I hope Brian Fuller can bring it back- I believe Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy have both said they’re keen so fingers crossed!
Sheila Jean wrote: "I'm trying to listen to The Clan of the Cave Bear, but I'm kind meh about it, and I am about halfway through Strange the Dreamer, but that needs to go back to the library because I read The Stone Sky in the middle. Not sure if I'll finish it or not..."So I finished The Clan of the Cave Bear, I did not particularly enjoy it. It felt like a cross between a documentary and the ravings a selfish, cruel, young man. It reminded me of Joffrey from Game of Thrones, and I have not read beyond book 1 because I hated it so much.
The other book I was reading at the start of the month went back to the library unfinished. Will probably grab it next time I go in to pick up a physical book.
I'm now listening to another non S&L book, Kate Morton's The Distant Hours, and am two stories into The Jack Vance Treasury and just started Doomsday Book.
Ruth wrote: "Dara wrote: "Ruth wrote: "In a break from SFF, I’m listening to Red Dragon. It’s a little strange coming to it from the Hannibal TV show because I can’t help visualising the characters..."I'm hoping they do. Hannibal is also unexpectedly funny, especially in season 3. Anyway, this is off-topic and the Roberator will throw down if I continue, haha...
Mod
*nods*
Been reading books. I quite enjoyed Shards of Honor. I'll spread them out but I do intend to read further on this series, which I believe consists of around four hundred books.We Have Always Lived in the Castle, based on recommendation from Robin Hobb, was very good. Reminded me a bit of Gormenghast.
Nine Princes in Amber I liked less. Extremely self-absorbed bros squabble over their dad's throne. This is also the beginning of a series but I see no need to continue it.
Six Wakes was cool. Some of the world-building elements verged on silly, but the mystery was well presented and I liked that Lafferty didn't hide information from the reader to create fake tension.
Currently reading: Autonomous, and I bought Parable of the Talents on sale which i'll read at some point.
Sheila Jean wrote: "Sheila Jean wrote: "I'm trying to listen to The Clan of the Cave Bear, but I'm kind meh about it, and I am about halfway through Strange the Dreamer, but that needs to go back to the library becaus..."I started Clan of the Cave Bear about a million years ago and gave up after she spent what felt like an entire chapter describing each individual flower and blade of grass on a hillside.
Just finished Yesterday's Kin, which is a 2-star book for me. Been there, done that, got the spacesuit.Just started You're Never Weird on the Internet, the first couple chapters of which are entertaining.
I chose both because the titles start with Y. I am dangerously close to completing my Alphabet Challenge for the first time since I started trying 25+ years ago.
Ruth wrote: "In a break from SFF, I’m listening to Red Dragon. It’s a little strange coming to it from the Hannibal TV show because I can’t help visualising the characters in their TV incarnations-..."That's a terrific book! I didn't even know there was a Hannibal TV series. It sounds delicious, er, I mean terrific!
Trike, good luck on your alphabet challenge! I'll be interested to see what your Z will be.
David wrote: "Trike, good luck on your alphabet challenge! I'll be interested to see what your Z will be."My first one was Zero Sum Game. For my second I'm going to do either Zoo City or Zoom: How Everything Moves: From Atoms and Galaxies to Blizzards and Bees.
Her Body and Other Parties. I usually don't like short story collections, but this was a huge exception. Some of the best fairy tale adaptations I've ever read, Angela Carter included. 4 stars.Pym. Combines fantasy (view spoiler) with super insightful satire with a deliberately black updating of Edgar Allan Poe's white supremacist fable (and only novel), The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. 5 stars.
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter. I really enjoyed the feminist rewrite of gothic heroines, but didn't find the mystery plot all that compelling. 3 stars.
Abaddon's Gate. So much fun. Really loved the new POVs offered in this narrative (though I also missed the two from the previous novel that dropped out of this one). 4 stars.
Randy wrote: "Ruth wrote: "In a break from SFF, I’m listening to Red Dragon. It’s a little strange coming to it from the Hannibal TV show because I can’t help visualising the characters in their TV ..."The Hannibal TV is indeed delicious and you should totally check it out!
Finished listening to Ringworld. Mixed feelings about it. Some great inventiveness on display but dreadfully misogynist overtones and one of the most preposterous plot points (not intended to be farce) that I have come across lately. (view spoiler)Just discovered that it had been a Sword & Laser pick back in 2013. Didn't see too many familiar names in the comment threads I stumbled across.
Next up in audio will be next month's pick, the Doomsday Book.
Finished up Mother Night and myriad short stories. It always amazes me how authors can create such rich worlds with such a limited amount of space. But I guess that's why they're the ones doing the writing and I'm not!Starting Blood of Elves for a couple days before I can get to the library and pick up Doomsday Book for next month's group read. Pretty excited to get into that one!
Finished up Line War, the last of the Agent Cormac "Polity" books. This one's got all the action and plot resolution you'd expect from a series finale. Overall pretty good although the action on action got a little wearing at times. The other books in the series have had more intricate plotting.Plenty of surprises up to the last moment. I wondered why the main character was essentially an observer during a major plot point, only to find that another, unexpected item was addressed.
The later books are more straight up space opera. Earlier works and a side-book on an interstellar war had wink-and-nod stereotypes with the author sharing the joke with the reader. In the first Agent Cormac book the villain doesn't kill Cormac at one point because it wasn't the right situation. Apparently Cormac has plot armor, like his obvious precedent James Bond or really any of the comics superheroes. The Prador War notes how silly it would be for crabs to be homicidal lunatics and then they turn out to be exactly that.
A good conclusion to the series, and I'll read more of the Polity books that Asher has done.
His next bit in the Polity series takes us to the accretion disk where Mika and Dragon currently are and where Orlandine is headed. It's the start of a 3 book arc exploring more of the Jain stuff in detail (see https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/sc... at the bottom for a synopsis). Should be interesting. One thing that has me a bit worried is how Asher has built up the Jain tech. If it's SO dangerous that it's taken out 4 powerful older civilizations, how does the Polity survive (not just in a given book, but overall)?
I also wonder how the fate of Penny Royal plays into this (I can't remember if you've finished the Transformation series, so I'll not say more).
Ruth wrote: "The Hannibal TV is indeed delicious and you should totally check it out!"I will stock up on fava beans and some nice Chianti.
Finished Dawn by Octavia E. Butler. It was weird and unsettling. My review. I might try Neuromancer again. I tried to read it a few years back but couldn't get into it. We'll see what happens.
Randy wrote: "Ruth wrote: "The Hannibal TV is indeed delicious and you should totally check it out!"I will stock up on fava beans and some nice Chianti."
True story? A friend wanted us to try this show, so she had a small dinner party and then we watched the first two episodes. She served a liver and tongue dish, Chianti, and huge stuffed mushrooms.
Macabre sense of humor, my friend.
Speaking of macabre, y'all coulda warned me a little that Shards of Honor was so horrifying! Luckily, Equal Rites was delightful, and now I'm trying to listen to The Colour of Magic while I do some very tedious work. Also re-reading The Way of Kings with some friends in anticipation (so much anticipation!) of Oathbringer.
Just finished "The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter" last week, which is the first time I've read the S&L read when the club is actually reading it. Unfortunately, didn't really care for it.Currently reading "The Life Cycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang, and probably "The Thing Itself" after that.
Finished the Vaginal Fantasy pick, The Quick. It was okay - at first I thought I would love it, with its Gothic atmosphere, but the focus of the story kept shifting and in the end left me rather dissatisfied. I wound up giving it 3 stars.I have since started Leviathan Wakes. Enjoying it pretty well so far, I have high hopes, especially given all the great reviews by people I follow. What makes me giggle though is the George R.R. Martin blurb on the front of the book: "It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera." I laugh when I imagine that's something someone just happened to hear him say once, not necessarily in reference to the book :p
interesting Dara... Like you, I didn't continue past Dawn for many of the same reasons, but I'd 5 star it precisely because it did such a good job of conveying how alien the Oonkali were and how Liilth's choices were constricted. Many of her books are similarly visceral, but the writing... oh, her writing.
Jessica wrote: "What makes me giggle though is the George R.R. Martin blurb on the front of the book: "It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera." I laugh when I imagine that's something someone just happened to hear him say once, not necessarily in reference to the book :p "I think I mentioned this in my review, but the thing that makes me chuckle about that quote is that there is no indication that Martin thinks Leviathan Wakes is just such a book.
You can interpret that blurb as Martin reading it and sighing because he was disappointed. It's kind of like saying, "There are many great books out there, and this one can sit on the shelf beside them." :D
the boys who made up James S.A. Corey are friends of George RR Martin. In fact, Ty Franck was George's assistant for years, which has to be a great job. Daniel Abraham has worked in Wildcards plus lot of other stuff George is involved with.
Jessica wrote: "I have since started Leviathan Wakes. Enjoying it pretty well so far, I have high hopes, especially given all the great reviews by people I follow...."I enjoy those books so much. There's a nice episode of The Incomparable devoted to discussing them, though it includes spoilers of the first three books.
Finally finished with The Girl with All the Gifts - I like mostly the beginning and the end - both are really strong. And the tie-in with Greek mythology is also enjoyable. Starting another Halloween read, now Something Wicked This Way Comes. My second Bradbury, hopefully this one is better.
Steve wrote: "Currently reading "The Life Cycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang"
My favorite Chiang story so far. Soooo good.
Silvana wrote: "Finally finished with The Girl with All the Gifts - I like mostly the beginning and the end - both are really strong. And the tie-in with Greek mythology is also enjoyable. Starti..."
Something Wicked is my Favorite Bradbury story. It drags a little near the end, but it is still amazing!
Dara wrote: "Finished Dawn by Octavia E. Butler. It was weird and unsettling. "The other two books in the series are very focused on familiarizing (i won't say humanizing) the aliens. We get to see things more from their side and it's different in tone from Dawn. Both the sequels are quite good.
I finished reading Autonomous. It had some high points though ultimately i found the resolution unsatisfying. This was the most CanCon book not written by a Canadian that i can recall. It had more violence than i expected, although the amount of robot sex was within expectations. I have some issues with the dystopia she constructed where i can't imagine the mechanism by which we get from where we are now to the society she lays out in her books, it feels weirdly a-historical. ★★★☆☆.
Brendan wrote: "the amount of robot sex was within expectations"Can we just pause to admire this sentence?
"The amount of robot sex was within expectations ."
And the fact that at first glance I didn't think twice about it? Sci-fi, baby! :D
Just lemmed A Discovery of Witches (I’m lemming a lot of books lately!) and started on Children of Time which I am enjoying so far
Allison wrote: "Speaking of macabre, y'all coulda warned me a little that Shards of Honor was so horrifying!"I'm about 40% of the way in so haven't gotten to that part yet... Seems pretty tame right now.
Randy wrote: "Allison wrote: "Speaking of macabre, y'all coulda warned me a little that Shards of Honor was so horrifying!"I'm about 40% of the way in so haven't gotten to that part yet... Seems pretty tame ri..."
Give it a minute. Can't wait to compare notes!
Picked Autonomous back up, which I started reading earlier this month and then somehow got distracted from. I'm about halfway through now and really liking it so far. Just started on Startide Rising as the next book in my Hugo winners challenge. I didn't really care for Sundiver at all, so I'm a little apprehensive about this book. The reviews seem to indicate it's better, but... we'll see.
My current audiobook listen is Prelude to Foundation. I've been devouring Asimov's books this year and loving them all so far.
Finished this month:
Amatka
The Dying Earth
The Naked Sun
The Caves of Steel
Last First Snow
Foundation's Edge
River of Teeth
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The Sword and Laser
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Elizabeth Bear (other topics)Elizabeth Bear (other topics)
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Philosophically, Egan is a hard materialist or at least was early on. I've read nothing post-Teranesia.