The Sword and Laser discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading - August 2014
I agree, I was not loving it, but the last third of the book saved it for me. In the end it worked for me.
Finished The Face in the Frost, which was wonderful, and decided to revisit a childhood favorite, Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress.(To clarify: When I read the book in my childhood, it was already 35 years old, plus or minus.)
For the Ready Player One dislikers (I don't think that's a word), can I ask your age? I have to say, being a child of the 80s myself I loved the book, but not because it's a great book, more for the serious nostalgia, also I'm a recovering WoWaholic so I could totally see myself becoming an obsessed Gunter.
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I will agree the writing isn't the best, but I was having too much fun to care.
Michele wrote: "For the Ready Player One dislikers (I don't think that's a word), can I ask your age?
I have to say, being a child of the 80s myself I loved the book, but not because it's a great book, more for ..."
So if you're not an 80's kid, it's pretty much going to be an average read, correct? I can barely lay claim to the 90's as is, hah.
I have to say, being a child of the 80s myself I loved the book, but not because it's a great book, more for ..."
So if you're not an 80's kid, it's pretty much going to be an average read, correct? I can barely lay claim to the 90's as is, hah.
Agree with the above. I was a child of the 80s and loved it. If it was all 90s pop culture references with Bay Watch, New Kids on the Block, and Vanilla Ice, I probably would not have have liked it nearly as much.
Yes, if you are not getting even half the references, you will probably get frustrated or bored because otherwise it's just a fun quick read about a kid who tries to win a videogame tournament thingy. Us 80s nerds can just keep yelling at the book about how we LOVED that movie, and played that game til our fingers cramped up and we ran out of quarters, and made mixed tapes from all those songs that we recorded off the radio, and dropped whatever we were doing to sit and watch that show when it aired because only fancy people had VCRs.
And us MMO players can whine along with poor level one Parzival having no gear and grinding pathetic gnomes for coppers and junk to sell and the Sixers who cheat like people who buy game gold with real money ;)
I have already read (and loved) The Name of the Wind. I am happily on the beach reading a paper back purchased from the Strand- The Eye in the Sky, by Phillip K. Dick. A laser is featured prominently. Back in the hotel at night I am reading The Book of Life; and on my way back home will listen to The Children of Dune.
My novel reading has been haphazard. Started The Incrementalists which was recommended by Boing Boing as a summer read and has a great blurb by John Scalzi. So far so good but I am only about 15% in.Just finished reading a bunch of short stories appearing in the final issue of Subterranean Press Magazine online:
The Last Log of the Lachrimosa by Alastair Reynolds http://subterraneanpress.com/magazine...
The Things We Do For Love by K. J. Parker http://subterraneanpress.com/magazine...
and West to East by Jay Lake http://subterraneanpress.com/magazine...
all of them are really good and well free :)
I'm 27 so I don't have the nostalgia of the 80s. Perhaps that's why I'm not really into it but I'm gonna stick with it. Seems like a quick read.
Band geek. Played clarinet and was in colorguard.
Have to agree with Michele and the others. If you were an upcoming nerd/geek in the 80's and lived the lifestyle then the book is amazing. If not then I can imagine a lot of the book not making much sense.
I think ready Player One does a good job of explaining the significance of any pop culture reference that are vital to the story. All non essential 80's pop references for me are just part of the world building and while I got most of them I don't think it would detract from the enjoyment of the story if you didn't.
I think when the time comes, unless it randomly falls into my lap, I'll just flip a coin to decide if to read it or not.
I just finished Kameron Hurley's The Mirror Empire! Definitely in my top five epic fantasy releases of the year. An excellent start to the series. It made me feel uncomfortable as no hell in the good way, and with some of the issues she touches on? That book's going to make waves when it hits. Worth checking out.
Here's my review
I really love the cover art on this, though:
I just finished Kameron Hurley's The Mirror Empire! Definitely in my top five epic fantasy releases of the year. An excellent start to the series. It made me feel uncomfortable as no hell in the good way, and with some of the issues she touches on? That book's going to make waves when it hits. Worth checking out.
Here's my review
I really love the cover art on this, though:
Paul wrote: "Dara wrote: "Alice wrote: "I'm glad someone else doesn't like it! I really didn't care for it, the characters felt flat and the writing mediocre. "That's what I'm thinking so far. It feels juveni..."
Oh I actually loved that book! even the beginning. But that's the best part about books, how different they are viewed from someone else perspective. I am 28, so no nostalgia necessarily but I enjoyed every second of it.
Finished Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress (it was short & fast-moving, if occasionally an uncomfortably racist product of its times) and am moving on to something else that's short but should be much, much more tolerable -- The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds by Neil Gaiman.
Finally I have finished Ancillary Justice. I have posted a small review here. Still listening to The Name of the Wind of course and I have also started on another classic: Way Station.
Still playing catchup from my game of thrones hiatus and reading more graphic novels/comics tooPromise of Blood
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2 Dangerous
Childhood's End
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 Torn
Have been on holiday so I was able to get in more than 45 to 60 minutes a day, so I read Old Man's War which I loved so have bought the second book in the series, and I've started Red Sea's Under Red Skys Locke Lamora Book2 which I'm enjoying so far.
I Finished Cibola Burn back on the first, so I guess that counts as a book read in August. Fantastic as always. Jumped right into and finished within a few days, Half a King which was excellent and I look forward to the next one. Just finished The Way of Kings on Audio and jumped right into Words of Radiance also on Audio today after loving the first book. Currently reading my way through Rogues(on and off between other books). Its an excellent, fun-filled collection.
The Magician's Land meanwhile stares at me from my bookshelf and I suspect that will be my reading item when I go on vacation next week.
So I am finally getting my copy of The Name of the Wind from the library. In the mean time I finished The Winter People and now I am reading La Piel del Cielo, How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens and listen to A Better World
Finished Laundry Files #1, The Atrocity Archives. I quite enjoyed it, especially all the Lovecraftian, Infocom, Turing references. Reminded me of a lighter version of the Illuminati Trilogy. I think I will knock off some Expanse, Powder Mage, Atrocity Archive, etc. novellas and then proceed to Anathem or Theft of Swords
Just started Fool's Assassin that I checked out from my library. Since I usually get through Robin Hobb books pretty quickly, I also picked up The Hero of Ages to finish the Mistborn trilogy.
I finished Ready Player One (My review). I mostly didn't care for it but the last part was really good.Not sure what I'm gonna read next. Perhaps Neuromancer.
Dara wrote: "I finished Ready Player One (My review). I mostly didn't care for it but the last part was really good.Not sure what I'm gonna read next. Perhaps Neuromancer."
I'm very surprised when you have such fantastic and similar taste to mine in books that you didn't enjoy it. It's One of my all time Favs.
Paul wrote: "Dara wrote: "I finished Ready Player One (My review). I mostly didn't care for it but the last part was really good.Not sure what I'm gonna read next. Perhaps [book:Neuromancer|223..."
It just wasn't for me.
I see you're a Pens fan though and that is awesome!
Reading Shift, which is a real page turner (Silo 1) but at times, a bear to slog through (Silo 18). Overall, Hugh continues to meet my high expectations after the stellar Wool books.At the same time, I started something.. hold on, completely different: A Fine Balance. I've been reading sci-fi non stop and thought I would try a different genre. Lets see how it goes...
Just started The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country and all I can think is, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Same here, listened to Name of the Wind on Audible (what an amazing performance) way before. Rereading
before going on to
. Can't wait.
Walter wrote: "Just started The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country and all I can think is, "The more things change, the more they stay the same.""My mom read. She said it was really good.
Started Ship of Magic. Been a while since I read Robin Hobb. I forgot how great of a writer she is.
I'm attempting Gravity's Rainbow for the 3rd or 4th time. I only understand 1/2 of what I'm reading but I've made more progress than I have on previous attempts.
Dharmakirti wrote: "I'm attempting Gravity's Rainbow for the 3rd or 4th time. I only understand 1/2 of what I'm reading but I've made more progress than I have on previous attempts."Heh...I've been trying to read that for the last 20 years, one of my goals is to actually finish it this year.
I'd recommend reading along with this: A Gravity's Rainbow Companion: Sources and Contexts for Pynchon's Novel. Footnotes within footnotes.
"to wound the autumnal city. So howled out for the world to give him a name. The in-dark answered with wind."I read Dhalgren a couple years ago and I loved it. I was hooked from the opening passage (above)...I had to know how that sentence started and I refused to skip to the end. So I went on the crazy journey and..just wow. Complicated and disorienting but at least there was A LOT of sex.
Sky wrote: "Dharmakirti wrote: "I'm attempting Gravity's Rainbow for the 3rd or 4th time. I only understand 1/2 of what I'm reading but I've made more progress than I have on previous attempts."H..."
Thanks for the suggestion.
Dharmakirti wrote: ""...to wound the autumnal city. So howled out for the world to give him a name."I read Dhalgren a couple years ago and I loved it. I was hooked from the opening passage (above)...I had to know h..."
Someday I'll go back to Delany. I have a bunch on my shelf -- those great covers from the 1970s. I remember reading Triton back when I was in high school a few times, but it blew right past me. Someday.
(Seeing that on the library paperback spinner, how could I not pick it up?)
I started it. Maybe you'll like it more; it's kinda literary. :) Characters are not so lovable.
Tamahome wrote: "I started it. Maybe you'll like it more; it's kinda literary. :) Characters are not so lovable."I probably shouldn't be trying to read it before bed because it's hard to follow (or maybe it's just hard to follow?)
I put it aside because Chimpanzee by Darin Bradley shipped early.
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I am trying Light by M.John Harrison. Has anyone read it?"I read it, I didn't really enjoy it. It was more work than play, felt more like something from Delaney than a fun Sci-fi type read.
Finally finished listening to The Wise Man's Fear. Took me over a month! Whew! I've started listening to Caliban's War.
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The Dragon's Path (My Review)
Fool's Assassin (My Review)
I enjoyed both. I moved on to The King's Blood in audio and I'm taking an SFF break to read Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation
Finished Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel KayMy review
Starting a foray into the Warhammer Universe with Eisenhorn
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The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Fearsome Magics (other topics)Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (other topics)
Fearsome Magics (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (other topics)
Jagannath (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
K.J. Parker (other topics)Nicola Griffith (other topics)
Jeff VanderMeer (other topics)
Robert Jackson Bennett (other topics)
Ben Peek (other topics)
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That's what I'm thinking so far. It feels juvenile. I'm 27% i..."
I always warn people the very beginning feels like an info dump of the authors favorite things (cue Julie Andrews) but if you stick with it it becomes a page turning treasure hunt book for grown up geeks and it's fabulous.
It's one of my favorite books of all time and it re-stoked my love of reading when bad Urban fantasy writers (read: almost all of them.) had nearly destroyed my faith in authors and books.