Vagabond Treehouse (2023) [Beware of Chicken 3 - December 4th] Showing 2,051-2,100 of 5,829

[Julian]

@Emily it's not that gifting the powers relieves the pressure. It's that by gifting it they aren't necessarily using the powers themselves. When they use the power it drives them to become evil

[Tonari no Emily]

Julian wrote: "@Emily it's not that gifting the powers relieves the pressure. It's that by gifting it they aren't necessarily using the powers themselves. When they use the power it drives them to become evil"

I could have sworn gifting helped them be less crazy in the original trilogy... But not using the power makes sense

[Tonari no Emily]

Icecream scene (view spoiler)[ Okay I feel like that bit was totally ripped from Zombieland and the twinkies lol (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Finished Lux.. It was pretty enjoyable (view spoiler)[ I want to know more about Deathrise... Part of calamity? Lifeforce's alternate personality? (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Started Kaiju Preservation Society (KPS?)

This already has me grinning. I really like Scalzi's humor. It's also the first book I've read with Covid in it so that's interesting..

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Anyone see that one of the actors from the original Godzilla movie passed away at 87?… coincidence?…

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Anyone see that one of the actors from the original Godzilla movie passed away at 87?… coincidence?…"

Nope. Not sure I understand the significance?

[Choko]

Emily, I thought the same thing! And it is so true for what was happening in 2020... That year truly sucked!!!

Iain, as we all know, there are no coincidences... Dum-dum-duuuuummmm...

Narilka, The Kaiju Preservation Society, the Scalzy book, named all of their bases after creators and actors of the original Godzilla movie:)))

[Narilka]

Choko wrote: "Narilka, The Kaiju Preservation Society, the Scalzy book, named all of their bases after creators and actors of the original Godzilla movie:))..."

Oh that's awesome :) Guess because I haven't started the book I didn't get it. Thanks!

[Narilka]

For those of you who started Kaiju already, put some thoughts for me to open next week please :D

[Narilka]

I gave myself a break from work and started Kaiju...

Ch 1 & 2 (view spoiler)[Very clever way to work in Hero Protagonist from Snow Crash LOL!! I always thought that was a silly character name lol I wonder if Scalzi is friends with Niel and is gently poking fun at him. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 11... (view spoiler)[ First, the writing, as always, is awesome! Second, his boss, from the first chapter, is a horrible sleazbucket and needs to go "deliverating" himself! Third, the roommates are hilarious:))) I like how he barely ever gives a description of outward appearance of any of the characters! This takes some talent. You guys know how many authors depend on those descriptions, and Scalzy goes out of his way not to! Kind of cool, in my opinion.

The little note left for the person taking over the cabin and the celebration of team change were very sweet:)))

The way they were introduced to their new jobs was hilarious. I am intrigued by the concept of organic creatures somehow thriving on radiation and containing their own nuclear reactors. I am not sure the author is making a valid scientific argument for it, but I can stand behind the concept that not everything in the universe should follow human centric laws and concepts, thus I will choose to suspend disbelief...

The "mating" between Edward and Bella... Hahaha! Traumatic in a very funny way:))) But I did feel sorry for the Kaiju that was hurt by Kevin... Poor creature... The survival of the fittest, I guess... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Narilka, don't you think it is time for a BR of Snow Crash? I love me some Niel!!!!!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Kaiju is basically a term for Godzilla, Mothra, and creatures of that ilk…

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

That, and I just like acting like a conspiracy theorist about random things, generally connected to books we're reading...

[Narilka]

Choko wrote: "Narilka, don't you think it is time for a BR of Snow Crash? I love me some Niel!!!!!"

It's funny because Snow Crash is the only Neal Stephenson book I've read so I was able to get the joke :D

[Choko]

Narilka, haha! Niel is... Different:) I love reading him, particularly when I get bogged down in a genre and it jars me out it:)

[Nirkatze]

Hey y'all--I've been pretty absent this week (crappy work week) and have a lot to catch up on, I see. I'm going to be spamming responses through the evening.

Looks like everyone's enjoying Kaiju! I haven't started yet but I do want to jump in. Does anyone have recommendations on audio v. text--especially for someone who has trouble paying attention to audio unless the narrator/story is on the level of Wandering Inn or the TT series?

I'd be down for a BR of Snow Crash in a few months...just throwing that in...always wanted to read it.

Also, I'm (hopefully) dragging Katie over here for a BR of Redwall if anyone wants to join this week. I'm really excited to try the audio.

[Narilka]

@Nirkatze, Re: Kaiju - I can't speak for the others. I went for the audio because I enjoy Wil Wheaton as a narrator. You could always give the sample a listen and see if you think it will work for you.

[Brian]

I can’t stand Wil Wheaton as a narrator. Not sure why but his voice grates on me.

[Nirkatze]

Thanks for the head's up. I will do that test.

Also, for those of you interested in joining Cloud Cuckoo Land this summer, here's the link: (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Hey y'all--I've been pretty absent this week (crappy work week) and have a lot to catch up on, I see. I'm going to be spamming responses through the evening.

Looks like everyone's enjoying Kaiju! ..."

All Scalzi books are read by Wil Wheaton... they're real life friends I think... some people aren't Wheaton fans, but I like him alright as a narrator... don't have much opinion about him as an actor...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I read half the book today... been a bit under the weather the past week... congested/coughy and now sinus pressure in ears...

Anyway... this book seems super short, and like a random idea Scalzi had and went with... not that I'm complaining really...

The opening setup kinda reminded me of Pears & Perils a bit, with the (view spoiler)[ridiculous firing (hide spoiler)]

I'm loving the Kaiju world and details... I'm assuming (view spoiler)[the kaiju death + pregnancy is gonna tear a big hole and cause a Kaiju outbreak on earth for the ending... (hide spoiler)]... will find out soon...

[Tonari no Emily]

The only ones Wheaton hasn't read are the Old Man's War and some others.. I associate his narration with Scalzi at this point. He's not my favorite but I think he does Scalzi's books just fine. Not much variation on accents, etc.
Also Scalzi doesn't vary much in his characters personality wise beyond sassy/cheeky protagonists and asshole antagonists which Wheaton does fairly well lol

Almost done now and (view spoiler)[ Jamie's firing is even worse cuz it's based on a bet by Sanders.. What a massive asshole! (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Alright, very much enjoyed Kaiju. The author's note pretty much sums up the tone of the novel, and now I want his broody novel :D

[Narilka]

Yeah, it's his snarky humor delivery that I like Wheaton for Scalzi books and Ready Player One. He nails the humor :)

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I read half the book today... been a bit under the weather the past week... congested/coughy and now sinus pressure in ears...

Anyway... this book seems super short, and like a random idea Scalzi ..."

Hope you feel better Iain!
Also I think that's basically what Scalzi said in the author note lol

[Tonari no Emily]

Narilka wrote: "Yeah, it's his snarky humor delivery that I like Wheaton for Scalzi books and Ready Player One. He nails the humor :)"

Snarky! That's the word I was looking for lol

[Choko]

I enjoyed it, just the way the author intended:) It was a very unassuming read, and my favorite parts were the ones where the ex boss (view spoiler)[ got bullied back by everyone in Tanaka compound:) Also loved the induction ceremonies and medals. The world ok-est dad, haha! I would totally love to read other books with this protagonist and this world and hope he has more situations to write something like that, instead of having to make himself write when not in the mood... How horrible though, I know I hate it when GR eats my review or a comment, but his computer ate a book! Well, I know it wasn't the whole thing, but still... That would make me really pissed...

As I said from the beginning, not sure about the actual science, but since I wanted to suspend disbelief, I tried not to notice when some of the suppositions were made... Good fun for everyone was had:))) (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Soo wrote: "Dating has no age limit on when you can start, etc. You can start now if you want. lol

36 used to be middle age. Now I think of middle age as more around 45-55. Which is the range I'm..."

Really liked the "middle age = your age + 10" equation. Shared it with local friends and parent. They all agreed it was gold. :)

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Lux about 40% in..

Original trilogy [spoilers removed]

The whole situation with Lux (the city) has me uneasy at this point. [spoilers removed]

I'm enjoying the setting though! I haven't read a l..."

Was really interesting to read your thoughts Emily! Especially for the Texas insight, and the Reckoners reminders. Sorry I'm so late in replying. Crazy week, plus Vagabond pages move so fast it's a little intimidating when I miss a few days to dig through the backlog.

I remember almost nothing from the original Reckoners trilogy.

re: Gifters (end spoilers) (view spoiler)[I wonder if Lifeforce being a gifter then is why he was able to gather other Epics together without feeling a need to tear them apart territorially, like the others do at the end? But then, Languish seems almost entirely unaffected, and he's not a gifter, right? The weather one and telekinetic one seemed more crazy than Lifeforce to me.

Each of the epics have varying levels of psychosis--from Languish's almost total apathy, to Lifeforce's "benevolent" dictatorship, to the others' vapid desire to destroy... it's an interesting comparison at the very least.

And then that little voice in Paige's mind at the very end...how is that connected? (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Emily wrote: "Started Kaiju Preservation Society (KPS?)

This already has me grinning. I really like Scalzi's humor. It's also the first book I've read with Covid in it so that's interesting.."

Thinking pretty much the exact same thing. Picked up KPS on a whim in the middle of reading another book and then really didn't want to put it down. All of the little nods to COVID are giving me warm fuzzy vibes like, yeah, I lived this. He lived this. The author is acknowledging that we all lived this. I get this. Thank you. I actually had to call my mom and read her parts of the first three chapters--(view spoiler)[the part when Tom has to step back out of the breathzone to take of his mask and flash his face, then the HILARIOUS vaccine conversation with the farts-that-are-not-farts and the murder stoner syndrome. (hide spoiler)] When I explained the premise of the book, the first thing my mom says?

"Let's watch the original Godzilla and Mothra sometime."

Iain, my mom probably would agree with you that the original actors deaths & this book are not coincidences.

More info on the word "kaiju"--it's a Japanese term: 怪獣 or sometimes 海獣 where the first character "kai" (怪) means suspicious or mysterious and "juu" (獣) means beast. Together, they are most often translated as "monster." Godzilla is categorized as a 巨大怪獣/kyodai kaijuu or "titan monster" (using the same kyo as in shingeki no kyojin/Attack on Titan fyi), and the Godzilla movie is considered the birth of Japan's kaijuu/monster movies. I think the movie Pacific Rim swapped the character 海 (sea) in for kai, making it sea beast but that might be a memory error.

[Nirkatze]

Also just finished Constance Verity #2. I found it kinda annoying and somewhat disappointing. I enjoyed the throwaway sentences and the snark, I loved Tia and found her relationship with Hiro amusing, but I find Connie increasingly annoying, especially how she treats her friends, family, and boyfriend. The agonizing relationship between her and Byron seemed like a constant broken record and I kept wanting to yell at her to get over herself.

I mean, WHY do protagonists NEVER just TALK to each other about IMPORTANT things like frickin' ADULTS??? I feel like I adult my feelings very well, thank you. I feel like a lot of people I know also adult their feelings very well, thank you. Why are there so few characters in books who adult their feelings???

I read your review, Soo, and I pretty much agree with everything you said. I'm really hoping that those rehashed problems can be left behind for book three, and let the trio of adventurers just have some fun.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Soo wrote: "Dating has no age limit on when you can start, etc. You can start now if you want. lol

36 used to be middle age. Now I think of middle age as more around 45-55. ..."

I'm pretty sure I heard it somewhere, didn't just make it up...

Regardless, it stems from the fact that perceptions of age/oldness and intellect/wiseness/immaturity change based on your age...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Also just finished Constance Verity #2. I found it kinda annoying and somewhat disappointing. I enjoyed the throwaway sentences and the snark, I loved Tia and found her relationship with Hiro amusi..."

Constance Verity is my least favorite aspect of the Constance Verity series... I like the side characters...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I finished Kaiju yesterday, and loved it "for what it was"... I honestly wouldn't mind a sequel in this world...

Or if Scalzi gets around to writing the broody series...

Or something else entirely for awhile...

[Nirkatze]

A friend just lent me Ice Planet Barbarians. I cracked the book to take a look and ended up reading several chapters without noticing. It is horribly wonderful smutty fun so far and difficult to put down. Many laughs.

Also, watched Daniel Greene's review of it. Many more laughs. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVRJ9...)

Does anyone know how old Ruby Dixon is and if this book, published in 2015, could count for the under 25 on Bingo?

[Nirkatze]

Kaiju Chapter 5 names: Tanaka, Honda, Nakajima, Chuko-kita

Honestly, I always thought Tanaka was the #1 most common name in Japan, like the Japanese version of "Smith". Honda might be more common. 田中 (tanaka) and 本田 (honda) both have the 田 character, which means ricefield. 中(naka) means middle and 本(hon) means origin, so both names pretty much point to ancestry of farmers. Middle-of-the-Ricefield Tanaka and From-the-Ricefield Honda. I had a host-mother in Japan whose maiden name was 田中, and she was ecstatic to get married and ditch it because "everyone is named Tanaka."

Nakajima (中島) has the same "naka" as Tanaka, but jima--or shima, means island.

I was a little confused by Chuko-kita, until a little research showed me it was actually two names (Japanese last names are 99% two syllables/two kanji characters, and never hyphenated). Takeo Kita and Satoshi Chuko were the two art directors on the Godzilla movies. 北(kita) means North, and 中古(chuuko) means "second-hand/used/old." Both are not very common last names. Also, if you noticed, the chuu in Chuko is the same kanji as the naka in Tanaka & Nakajima. The 古 (ko) means old.

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 6 shobijin. 小美人 (shou bijin) literally means "little beauty." Th 小(shou) means little, 美 (bi) is beautiful, and 人(jin) means person. Apparently the naming is after twin women characters from the Mothra movie.

[Choko]

Nirkatze, all this information about the Japanese, is awesome!!! Thank you:)

[Nirkatze]

Yay! Glad it is interesting. :)

Hey, Kaiju p. 60 had a Dun dun dunnnnnnn!!

[Nirkatze]

So, are we starting the next Middle Falls Time Travel book (Scott, right?) for Monday, or doing Connie Verity #3 next?

Also, Katie & I are starting Redwall on Monday and are going to chat here, I hope that's ok. Anyone else is welcome!

[Choko]

I will join you for Redwall:)

[Nirkatze]

Yay! More Choko time!

[Brian]

I’d like to try Redwall too. I’ll try to join in by end of the week

[Nirkatze]

Yay! I was telling Katie over in the Buddy Read Invite thread--I'm really excited to try the audiobook. Brian Jacques conceived of the idea for Redwall when he started volunteering at a local school for the blind in Liverpool. He would read books out loud to the children, but he was unimpressed with the children's books available at the time, finding them moody, overly moral, and lacking in magic. So he wrote them a story of adventure, and included language rich with description. He literally wrote a story that was meant to be read aloud. He later became very involved in the audiobook productions of his book, hiring friends and family members to flush out a full cast.

[Nirkatze]

Kaiju Chapter 16--more laughing out loud. (view spoiler)[I absolutely loved the awards ceremony.

I also think it's great that Tagaq is a big karaoke nerd. I don't know if that's another Japan/Godzilla nod, but karaoke is HUGE in Japan. A party without karaoke isn't a real party. And you haven't lived until you've done East Asian style karaoke. I miss karaoke! (hide spoiler)]

I also was not aware of the Large Adult Sons meme. Learn something new every day.

[Tonari no Emily]

Nirkatze wrote: "Kaiju Chapter 5 names: Tanaka, Honda, Nakajima, Chuko-kita

Honestly, I always thought Tanaka was the #1 most common name in Japan, like the Japanese version of "Smith". Honda might be more common...."
I'm actually proud of myself I remembered most of those kanji! :D

[Tonari no Emily]

Nirkatze, I didn't know about Redwall.. Perhaps if its available at the library I'll join!

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I finished Kaiju yesterday, and loved it "for what it was"... I honestly wouldn't mind a sequel in this world...

Or if Scalzi gets around to writing the broody series...

Or something else entirel..."

Yes to sequel! Definitely a lot to explore with Kaiju :D

And the author's note made me feel really bad for Scalzi, but I still really want his broody novel. I think that's pretty different for him, and I'm interested in how he does novels with different tones/themes.