What Are You Reading?

divide_by_zero · 23-07-2020 9:08am

Just finished William Gibson's latest Agency, was a decent read and possibly one of his easier books to get into.

Jayd0g · 23-07-2020 9:26am

Completed the Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin yesterday after recommendations in this thread. Thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks folks!

wyrn · 23-07-2020 10:04am

Jayd0g wrote: »

Completed the Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin yesterday after recommendations in this thread. Thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks folks!

Book 1 is 99p today https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UFWTMUC/

Dades · 24-07-2020 3:46pm

keane2097 wrote: »

I'm listening to Rendezvous With Rama on Audible while reading summaries of the Dresden Files books to remind myself of the story-lines. I often expect classic sci-fi to be a bit ****e and I'm always wrong. RWR is absolutely class 70% of the way through, as was Ringworld, as was Stars My Destination, as was anything by Asimov I ever picked up. I must try to remember this.

RWR, Ringworld and The Stars My Destination are absolute stars of SF for me. I'd add the Forever War to the list.

I read all the Ramas and they go quite left field but worth the read. I seem to recall some of the story points about human mating pairs were eyebrow raising. God forbid some zealot with thin skin gets wind and insist they get censored or pulled from the shelves. Also...Octospiders. :pac:

---

Finally finished Seveneves after seeing reviews here.

Amazing book I thought. Load of hard SF without a whole load of characters getting in the way!

The final part (III) was (without going into spoilers) quite a departure from what went before, but didn't resonate as much with me.

A fantastic read regardless.

Glebee · 24-07-2020 4:35pm

Sorry folks, dont want to start a new thread on this. Anybody have issue with Amazon kindle purchase not showing up on their account. Im a sucker for buying kindle bargin books for 99p and know I wont get to them for a while. Picked up Book1 and 2 in Abercrombies Shatterd Sea series last year, both for 99p. Book 2 shows up in my account but Book 1 is not there. When I go to the Book 1 store page it says that I purchased but does not give me option to download to kindle. A few other books are also acting similar...

Thargor · 24-07-2020 4:46pm

Max Brooks of World War Z fame has a new one:

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre is presented as a found document. Like its predecessor, it involves humans coming into conflict with something uncanny. And, like its predecessor, its structure offers plenty of foreshadowing of discomfiting events. But Devolution differs from World War Z in a few substantial ways as well, which ultimately make it a more intimate book than its predecessor—and a far stranger one.

wyrn · 24-07-2020 4:53pm

Glebee wrote: »

Sorry folks, dont want to start a new thread on this. Anybody have issue with Amazon kindle purchase not showing up on their account. Im a sucker for buying kindle bargin books for 99p and know I wont get to them for a while. Picked up Book1 and 2 in Abercrombies Shatterd Sea series last year, both for 99p. Book 2 shows up in my account but Book 1 is not there. When I go to the Book 1 store page it says that I purchased but does not give me option to download to kindle. A few other books are also acting similar...

I've had this, it's usually when there's a new publisher or it's republished. There's been a few times where I've nearly bought the same book twice. Your best bet is to look at your content page.

Click on "Accounts and Lists" -> Manage Content and Devices -> Content (this is where all the books you bought are registered, you can search within this list)

pixelburp · 24-07-2020 4:58pm

Thargor wrote: »

Max Brooks of World War Z fame has a new one:

Started reading this the other day; in terms of structure it's very similar to WWZ all right, that journalistic mishmash of diary entries and interviews. The characters (so far) are very broadly drawn, but given where I think it's heading I don't mind that so much.

Glebee · 24-07-2020 6:56pm

wyrn wrote: »

I've had this, it's usually when there's a new publisher or it's republished. There's been a few times where I've nearly bought the same book twice. Your best bet is to look at your content page.

Click on "Accounts and Lists" -> Manage Content and Devices -> Content (this is where all the books you bought are registered, you can search within this list)

Was still not showing, customer help sorted it out.

keane2097 · 27-07-2020 12:12pm

keane2097 wrote: »

I'm listening to Rendezvous With Rama on Audible while reading summaries of the Dresden Files books to remind myself of the story-lines. I often expect classic sci-fi to be a bit ****e and I'm always wrong. RWR is absolutely class 70% of the way through, as was Ringworld, as was Stars My Destination, as was anything by Asimov I ever picked up. I must try to remember this.

I finished the new Dresden book Peace Talks and it's the least I've enjoyed one of them since the series started. I didn't feel like anything was at stake in the larger storyline, it felt like one of the more standalone novels from early in the season.

I think it could have been edited a lot better also. Mild spoilers to follow.

I felt as if every second line was describing how having the Winter Mantle gives him a horn and the two or three meetings with Ebenezer were very long-winded and repetitive - they just kept repeating the same **** non-arguments at one another and failing to communicate to a literally unbelievable extent. He seems to have given Lara a bit of a personality transplant as well. She was never this sound or attached to Thomas before.

Thargor · 27-07-2020 12:33pm

Reading Diaspora by Greg Egan as part of my project to force myself to clear the backlog of hundreds of ebooks I've been collecting and not reading since the first Sony Ereaders appeared.

It's good, early 90s but you wouldn't know it, feels like hard sci-fi from this year. Some chapters do contain an awful lot of physics and tech descriptions that devolve into paragraph after paragraph of gibberish Neal Stephenson style but you can skim them. The opening chapter where he describes the main character being born is probably responsible for a lot of people giving up on it.

By the end of the 30th century humanity has the capability to travel the universe, to journey beyond earth and beyond the confines of the vulnerable human frame.

The descendants of centuries of scientific, cultural and physical development divide into three: fleshers — true Homo sapiens; Gleisner robots — embodying human minds within machines that interact with the physical world; and polises — supercomputers teeming with intelligent software, containing the direct copies of billions of human personalities now existing only in the virtual reality of the polis.

Diaspora is the story of Yatima — a polis being created from random mutations of the Konishi polis base mind seed — and of humankind, Of an astrophysical accident that spurs the thousandfold cloning of the polises. Of the discovery of an alien race and of a kink in time that means humanity — whatever form it takes — will never again be threatened by acts of God.

JayRoc · 27-07-2020 12:52pm

keane2097 wrote: »

Finished RWR last night and the ending was very satisfying. My Goodreads review is 'Just perfect' which sums it up. The follow-ups written by some other chap - yay or nay?

I've started the new Dresden Files book on Audible now. They're good craic.

From my recollection there were three or four sequels which were all by Arthur C Clarke writing with another author. They were a lot longer and not quite as good as RWR but I still remember enjoying them a lot.

ixoy · 27-07-2020 1:47pm

More recent reads:

'The Making of Alien' by J.W. Rinzler - Wouldn't normally mention such books here, but it is a very in-depth look at the making - from conception to release - of one of the (rightly) mostly celebrated sci-fi films of all time. It's pretty much the definitive "Making of.." for for the film.

'Bone Silence' by Alastair Reynolds, the final book in his Revenge trilogy wrapping up the story of the Ness sisters. It's an improvement on the second book, which was too slow, but it's not classic Reynolds. One of the bigger issues is how all the answers come in a rush at the end, despite it being a 600+ book. Similar problem happened with his Elephants in Space trilogy. It's entertaining enough, and I quite like the world, but the wrap up left too many questions dangling and Reynolds has no current plans to continue.

'Homeland' by R.A. Salvatore, the first book in his Dark Elf trilogy and the first in what I see is a huge sequence of Drizzt books. It feels a little old fashioned (it is from 1990 and before all the new-wave fantasy) but the setting was good and Drizzt himself interesting, even if most of the other characters were extremely one dimensional. Given I got it as part of a humble bundle and have a load more to go, I'll continue reading.

cdgalwegian · 27-07-2020 3:26pm

Thargor wrote: »

Reading Diaspora by Greg Egan as part of my project to force myself to clear the backlog of hundreds of ebooks I've been collecting and not reading since the first Sony Ereaders appeared.

It's good, early 90s but you wouldn't know it, feels like hard sci-fi from this year. Some chapters do contain an awful lot of physics and tech descriptions that devolve into paragraph after paragraph of gibberish Neal Stephenson style but you can skim them. The opening chapter where he describes the main character being born is probably responsible for a lot of people giving up on it.

Yeah, the opening is a chore, and can be skimmed. It's pretty good as hard sci-fi goes after that.

Thargor · 29-07-2020 9:28pm

Thargor wrote: »

Reading Diaspora by Greg Egan as part of my project to force myself to clear the backlog of hundreds of ebooks I've been collecting and not reading since the first Sony Ereaders appeared.

It's good, early 90s but you wouldn't know it, feels like hard sci-fi from this year. Some chapters do contain an awful lot of physics and tech descriptions that devolve into paragraph after paragraph of gibberish Neal Stephenson style but you can skim them. The opening chapter where he describes the main character being born is probably responsible for a lot of people giving up on it.

cdgalwegian wrote: »

Yeah, the opening is a chore, and can be skimmed. It's pretty good as hard sci-fi goes after that.

Wow that turned out to be pretty amazing in the end, so glad I didnt give up on it. The end where MASSIVE SPOILER:

They decode all the artifacts across millions of dimensions and years and its a big statue of the aliens they were looking for

is one of the wow moments you only get in sci-fi.

Do you ever notice sci-fi that deals with huge time periods always leaves you feeling a bit depressed?

ixoy · 01-08-2020 6:15pm

Finished:

'Starship Troopers' by Robert A. Heinlein. I knew it didn't resemble the film much but not to the extent so it wasn't at all what I expected. I found far too much of it taken up with talks about political systems, battles, etc and precious little action. The sci-fi elements for me were too little and I just found the whole thing a bit dull.

'False Values' by Ben Aarvonitch, the eighth book in his Peter Grant series. It kicks off in a bit of a new direction (with the hint of a new story arc, having had the previous one finish) with the twist of Peter going undercover in an IT company. This introduces a bit more of a Charles Stross's Laundry series flavour to it, although Grant's still far more likeable. The plot lines come together quite well and it's highly enjoyable (although small bugbear in that he again uses characters from his graphic novel series, this time one where the collected volume isn't even yet available).

pixelburp · 01-08-2020 6:38pm

About halfway through the third book in the Tower of Babel series, " the Hod King". My god the writing in these books is sublime, evocative and imaginative but never overwrought or overlong either. I'm so used to functional, realist prose from popular SciFi I've forgotten how artful literature in the genre can be. The cast has become more ensemble since the first novel and the structure reflects that, bouncing around the various members of Thomas Senlins crew.

cdgalwegian · 01-08-2020 7:30pm

pixelburp wrote: »

About halfway through the third book in the Tower of Babel series, " the Hod King". My god the writing in these books is sublime, evocative and imaginative but never overwrought or overlong either. I'm so used to functional, realist prose from popular SciFi I've forgotten how artful literature in the genre can be. The cast has become more ensemble since the first novel and the structure reflects that, bouncing around the various members of Thomas Senlins crew.

Is this fantasy, snook in as sci-fi due to steampunkery? Just reading reviews of the series, so not sure to whether to dip in or not, as generally reader of hard sci-fi (but amenable to some non hard sci-fi in right circumstances).

pixelburp · 01-08-2020 9:21pm

cdgalwegian wrote: »

Is this fantasy, snook in as sci-fi due to steampunkery? Just reading reviews of the series, so not sure to whether to dip in or not, as generally reader of hard sci-fi (but amenable to some non hard sci-fi in right circumstances).

It's probably steampunk insofar as labels apply, the world staying truer to (mad) science than fantasy. It's still "fantastical" though, as the various "levels" of the Tower are more in keeping with something like Gulliver's Travels than typical high fantasy tropes. Each world is a strange, beautiful, vulgar domain full of grotesques (but with varying degrees of humanity). In fact I'd double down on that, it's a very Swiftian story. Not necessarily satirical to any specific topic, but of humanity itself

Glebee · 04-08-2020 10:40am

Just finished The Heros. Brilliant stuff from Abercrombie. Question is should I countinue on with Red Country next? i know these series of his books are not really connected but there is a bit of a link between them. I have book 1 and 2 of his Shattered Seas series ready to go but I wonder should I finish off Red Country first??

megaten · 04-08-2020 11:29am

Glebee wrote: »

Just finished The Heros. Brilliant stuff from Abercrombie. Question is should I countinue on with Red Country next? i know these series of his books are not really connected but there is a bit of a link between them. I have book 1 and 2 of his Shattered Seas series ready to go but I wonder should I finish off Red Country first??

Absolutely, the standalone novels are not directly connected but if your planning to read his follow up trilogy at some stage you should finish Red County. Each standalone story moves the world forward several years so there worth it for context alone. (Red County is great on its own merits too though).

lordgoat · 05-08-2020 10:12pm

Still working my way through Feist, have maybe 5 books left. Any other big fantasy series I can go to after this. One requirements are
1 - it's complete no bull**** like GRRM or Rothfuss please, I wait for Sanderson to finish them before picking them up again.
2 - Not Erikson (read it)
3 - Pretty much read anything but ones I dislike are: Goodkind, Jordan, Tolkien (I know but he needed an editor)

Thanks

keane2097 · 05-08-2020 10:40pm

lordgoat wrote: »

Still working my way through Feist, have maybe 5 books left. Any other big fantasy series I can go to after this. One requirements are
1 - it's complete no bull**** like GRRM or Rothfuss please, I wait for Sanderson to finish them before picking them up again.
2 - Not Erikson (read it)
3 - Pretty much read anything but ones I dislike are: Goodkind, Jordan, Tolkien (I know but he needed an editor)

Thanks

The Amber Series is always worth a recommendation although in my eyes the audiobook read by the man himself is the way to go.

If you liked Erikson you may enjoy The Black Company books, I think they're great.

quickbeam · 05-08-2020 10:44pm

lordgoat wrote: »

Still working my way through Feist, have maybe 5 books left. Any other big fantasy series I can go to after this. One requirements are
1 - it's complete no bull**** like GRRM or Rothfuss please, I wait for Sanderson to finish them before picking them up again.
2 - Not Erikson (read it)
3 - Pretty much read anything but ones I dislike are: Goodkind, Jordan, Tolkien (I know but he needed an editor)

Thanks

As I didn't like Feist, and do like Jordan and Tolkien, you may not take my suggestions:

Robiin Hobb Farseer Trilogy
First Law by Joe Abercrombie
Dresden
The Dark Tower
Gentleman Bastards
The Witcher
Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence

I've not read all of the above, but I have read some and they're all on my to read list as I've heard good reports and they sound like my thing.

Thargor · 05-08-2020 10:50pm

House of Suns is so good.

mcgovern · 06-08-2020 8:23am

lordgoat wrote: »

Still working my way through Feist, have maybe 5 books left. Any other big fantasy series I can go to after this. One requirements are
1 - it's complete no bull**** like GRRM or Rothfuss please, I wait for Sanderson to finish them before picking them up again.
2 - Not Erikson (read it)
3 - Pretty much read anything but ones I dislike are: Goodkind, Jordan, Tolkien (I know but he needed an editor)

Thanks

Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Igotadose · 06-08-2020 9:45am

lordgoat wrote: »

Still working my way through Feist, have maybe 5 books left. Any other big fantasy series I can go to after this. One requirements are
1 - it's complete no bull**** like GRRM or Rothfuss please, I wait for Sanderson to finish them before picking them up again.
2 - Not Erikson (read it)
3 - Pretty much read anything but ones I dislike are: Goodkind, Jordan, Tolkien (I know but he needed an editor)

Thanks

Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
The Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer

lordgoat · 06-08-2020 10:57am

keane2097 wrote: »

The Amber Series is always worth a recommendation although in my eyes the audiobook read by the man himself is the way to go.

If you liked Erikson you may enjoy The Black Company books, I think they're great.

Haven't heard of either of these thanks

quickbeam wrote: »

As I didn't like Feist, and do like Jordan and Tolkien, you may not take my suggestions:

Robiin Hobb Farseer Trilogy
First Law by Joe Abercrombie
Dresden
The Dark Tower
Gentleman Bastards
The Witcher
Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence

I've not read all of the above, but I have read some and they're all on my to read list as I've heard good reports and they sound like my thing.

I've read all of the above bar the Witcher, thanks!

Thargor wrote: »

House of Suns is so good.

Cheers Thar

mcgovern wrote: »

Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Yeah I've seen these around for a good while now and I'm intrigued. Well written?

Igotadose wrote: »

Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
The Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer

Read Tom Cov years ago, enjoyed the first 3.

Will look into the other one.

Thanks all round

Nody · 06-08-2020 11:13am

lordgoat wrote: »

Read Tom Cov years ago, enjoyed the first 3.

You'd most likely enjoy the second trilogy as well then; can't speak beyond those first six books however.

coffee_cake · 06-08-2020 11:56am

lordgoat wrote: »

Still working my way through Feist, have maybe 5 books left. Any other big fantasy series I can go to after this. One requirements are
1 - it's complete no bull**** like GRRM or Rothfuss please, I wait for Sanderson to finish them before picking them up again.
2 - Not Erikson (read it)
3 - Pretty much read anything but ones I dislike are: Goodkind, Jordan, Tolkien (I know but he needed an editor)

Thanks

any interest in katharine kerr's deverry series?

Personally reading this at the moment - very good so far
Aftershocks (The Palladium Wars Book 1)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GJK4C5D/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

What Are You Reading?

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