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.

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

shrapnel222 · 06-08-2020 12:38pm

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

lot of good recommendations so far (personal fav also for the amber chronicles).

here are a couple more

the fionavar tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay

broken earth by jemisin

or for easy reading (quite similar to Feist imo)

the belgariad by David Eddings

Thargor · 06-08-2020 3:06pm

Sorry House of Suns is hard sci-fi by Alastair Reynolds, I was just saying i was good, wasnt responding to your fantasy recommendations request...

Igotadose · 06-08-2020 4:06pm

Couple of other all time favorites:

Saberhagen's "Book of Swords" series. Fantasy/Science Fiction and various weirdnesses. Brilliant writing.
Barbara Hambly's Darwath saga. She's a very versatile writer, the Darwath saga is older but very clever.
Mercedes Lackey "Valdemar" series, especially the earlier ones.

06-08-2020 4:15pm

Thargor wrote: »

Sorry House of Suns is hard sci-fi by Alastair Reynolds, I was just saying i was good, wasnt responding to your fantasy recommendations request...

I like the preview - gonna get it now

nhur · 06-08-2020 9:46pm

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

+1 for black company (nothing compared to erikson tho)
+1 for Eddings... Belgariad is great but is also dated IMO... Elenium is better...
Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks
Weis and Hickman? They're a bit ancient but still great... Both the Dragonlance ones and the Rose of the Prophet...
Stormlight series...

Not sure quite what you mean by no bs tho!

ixoy · 06-08-2020 11:08pm

I'll third the 'Shadow of the Apt' dekalogy. Interesting premise and world - unusual in that it shows the rise of technology (close to steam punk - early 20th century) in the shadow of the decline of magic as typically it's the other way around. Fully complete and, if you like the author, he publishes about a billion works a year (okay, 1 novel and 2 novellas at least).

Of recent reads, I really enjoyed 'The Winnowing Flame' trilogy.

'The Books of Babel' series is very good so far but the last volume isn't out - it's being written, should be out in the next year (he's not a procrastinator) but just in case you need it fully completed.

Thargor · 06-08-2020 11:16pm

ixoy wrote: »

I'll third the 'Shadow of the Apt' dekalogy. Interesting premise and world - unusual in that it shows the rise of technology (close to steam punk - early 20th century) in the shadow of the decline of magic as typically it's the other way around. Fully complete and, if you like the author, he publishes about a billion works a year (okay, 1 novel and 2 novellas at least).

Of recent reads, I really enjoyed 'The Winnowing Flame' trilogy.

'The Books of Babel' series is very good so far but the last volume isn't out - it's being written, should be out in the next year (he's not a procrastinator) but just in case you need it fully completed.

Whenever Im stuck for something to read I check Adrian Tchaikovskys Goodreads page and sure enough he'll have written something new, most recent one was Firewalkers:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52758714-firewalkers

Loved Shadows of the Apt and Children of Time and Children of Ruin were some of the best sci-fi Ive read in a long time. Such a great author but strangely under the radar for a lot of people considering the sheer amount he's written.

keane2097 · 06-08-2020 11:28pm

Are there any other Dresden Files fans here who thought the latest was like a really **** fan fic?

ixoy · 07-08-2020 8:37am

Thargor wrote: »

Whenever Im stuck for something to read I check Adrian Tchaikovskys Goodreads page and sure enough he'll have written something new, most recent one was Firewalkers

Read it and enjoyed it (it's a novella). Really looking forward to 'Doors of Eden' which is out in 3 weeks and features parallel universes where an alternate lines of evolution took place.
He's got, I believe, 6 novellas (at least) coming in the next few years, including a sequel to 'Dogs of War' and a space opera trilogy.

lordgoat · 07-08-2020 11:06am

bluewolf wrote: »

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

Read Deverry years ago, only remember the name so might drop back to it.

shrapnel222 wrote: »

lot of good recommendations so far (personal fav also for the amber chronicles).

here are a couple more

the fionavar tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay

broken earth by jemisin

or for easy reading (quite similar to Feist imo)

the belgariad by David Eddings

Read them all!! GGK never gets enough credit for this series.

enjoyed Eddings when I was a teenager! Not so much after that you can see the ending a mile off once you've read the first series but great stories.

Igotadose wrote: »

Couple of other all time favorites:

Saberhagen's "Book of Swords" series. Fantasy/Science Fiction and various weirdnesses. Brilliant writing.
Barbara Hambly's Darwath saga. She's a very versatile writer, the Darwath saga is older but very clever.
Mercedes Lackey "Valdemar" series, especially the earlier ones.

Actually never heard of any of them. Will look into them

nhur wrote: »

+1 for black company (nothing compared to erikson tho)
+1 for Eddings... Belgariad is great but is also dated IMO... Elenium is better...
Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks
Weis and Hickman? They're a bit ancient but still great... Both the Dragonlance ones and the Rose of the Prophet...
Stormlight series...

Not sure quite what you mean by no bs tho!

Read most of these too. Week's first series is far better than LB for me.

ixoy wrote: »

I'll third the 'Shadow of the Apt' dekalogy. Interesting premise and world - unusual in that it shows the rise of technology (close to steam punk - early 20th century) in the shadow of the decline of magic as typically it's the other way around. Fully complete and, if you like the author, he publishes about a billion works a year (okay, 1 novel and 2 novellas at least).

Of recent reads, I really enjoyed 'The Winnowing Flame' trilogy.

'The Books of Babel' series is very good so far but the last volume isn't out - it's being written, should be out in the next year (he's not a procrastinator) but just in case you need it fully completed.

Cheers for this, will def read it at some point soon

07-08-2020 2:23pm

bluewolf wrote: »

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

Finished this and its sequel. absolutely love them. that's great writing. and not one spelling error - some people are checking their kindle versions after all.
next one not til next year

it is military scifi i guess.
will read the alaistair r one next now. and another by Kloos - he has a whole other series

pixelburp · 10-08-2020 6:05pm

Reading Andy Weir's second novel & follow-up to The Martian, Artemis.

A very mixed bag: like the previous book the technical details feel coherent and thought out, giving the world that lived-in feel you often don't get with such overly fictional locations. The lead character though. Oof. She's basically Mark Watney with a vagina: that same thread of joking self-awareness but this time around it doesn't work. At least in The Martian, that constant quipping felt appropriate for a man trapped & alone on Mars - a defence mechanism against insanity & a hopeless scenario. With Artemis though, the continuous winking style of the narration doesn't work half as well; Jazz comes across as just smart arsed and annoying. I'm only 30% through so maybe the book is building towards the character needing to reckon with her flippancy, but it doesn't feel that way.

The White Feather · 10-08-2020 7:44pm

I thought the same about Artemis. I thought Jazz was a man for a while at the start. Weir can't write at all like a woman. Jazz says things like a horny guy all the time! :pac: Rerally took me out of the book every time

Lady Haywire · 10-08-2020 7:57pm

I'm in the Shades of Magic trilogy. Weirdly enough, I'd forgotten about the third book so just re-reading the first two again before the third.
Really enjoying them so might check out Schwab's other books after these.

Also reading The Last Magician (Lisa Maxwell) & Lavondyss but got a bit bored with them, hence getting sidetracked to the London tales again

Thargor · 10-08-2020 9:10pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Reading Andy Weir's second novel & follow-up to The Martian, Artemis.

A very mixed bag: like the previous book the technical details feel coherent and thought out, giving the world that lived-in feel you often don't get with such overly fictional locations. The lead character though. Oof. She's basically Mark Watney with a vagina: that same thread of joking self-awareness but this time around it doesn't work. At least in The Martian, that constant quipping felt appropriate for a man trapped & alone on Mars - a defence mechanism against insanity & a hopeless scenario. With Artemis though, the continuous winking style of the narration doesn't work half as well; Jazz comes across as just smart arsed and annoying. I'm only 30% through so maybe the book is building towards the character needing to reckon with her flippancy, but it doesn't feel that way.

That drove me mad when I was reading it and I ended up despising the Martian, never saw the hype. Didnt rate the film either.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 10-08-2020 9:23pm

Just finished A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir. Book 3 of the Ember Quartet.

I bought the first, An Ember in the Ashes, on a special offer. It started off slowly and I was a tad disappointed as it really was a love story in a fantasy setting but I enjoyed the world she formed and kept on reading. Good decision as I enjoyed it and the story developed very enjoyably. I have the final one pre ordered which I rarely do.

ixoy · 31-08-2020 12:15am

Finished 'The Soldier' by Neal Asher, the first book in his 'Rise of the Jain' trilogy. I know what to expect from Asher and he delivers in spades here - lots of different factions trying to work out different angles about each other, a nice mystery, tactics and some of the best action scenes in a sci-fi book. Characterisation is good, never Asher's strongest suite, but the pacing is great and it's always entertaining.

'Twelve Kings in Sharakhai' by Bradley P. Beaulieu, the first book in his 'The Song of the Shattered Sands' series. It does feature a young woman with a bit of a destiny but that trope is offset by setting it in an Arabian-influenced world (hence the sands in the series title) with the events moving along reasonably well. Nothing highly original here and I do wonder if it will ultimately drag (it's six books long and there's a bunch of novellas) but kept me going.

'Summerland' by Hannu Rajaniemi. I really enjoyed his 'Jean le Flambeur' high-concept sci-fi but this one I struggled a bit with. It's got an interesting premise on paper - a spy-thriller set in an alternate world where the after life not only exists but can be interacted with, allowing spirits to act as spies. Throw in concepts of fourth dimensions and it should have worked... but the plot itself was a little dull as were the characters despite the big concepts. Hoped for more, especially from this author, but was left wanting.

Paddy Samurai · 02-09-2020 3:25pm

I may be making a mistake here but hopefully not.
Im only 20% through book 1 and just ordered book 2 & 3 of this series.
Loving it so far.......

Just as well I don;t judge books by their covers.:D

09-09-2020 11:05pm

sufficiently advanced magic (andrew rowe), books 1 & 2: LitRPG, quite entertaining. Enjoyed the world building. Would read more of it

Mage Errant books 1-4 (john bierce): fairly generic school of magic go off on adventure around the world bit of politics. i wouldn't massively recommend it but it's good light reading and i tore through the books the last couple of days

Bit of a loss on what to read next - read a few free samples but the quality of editing is so poor I put them back down. Those books above weren't perfect either - it's brooch, not broach - but tolerable

I have some Marko Kloos and have just got "unsouled" by Will Wight to give a go.
Open to recommendations... on a fantasy kick again now after a recent scifi one

mcgovern · 10-09-2020 9:32am

bluewolf wrote: »

sufficiently advanced magic (andrew rowe), books 1 & 2: LitRPG, quite entertaining. Enjoyed the world building. Would read more of it

Mage Errant books 1-4 (john bierce): fairly generic school of magic go off on adventure around the world bit of politics. i wouldn't massively recommend it but it's good light reading and i tore through the books the last couple of days

Bit of a loss on what to read next - read a few free samples but the quality of editing is so poor I put them back down. Those books above weren't perfect either - it's brooch, not broach - but tolerable

I have some Marko Kloos and have just got "unsouled" by Will Wight to give a go.
Open to recommendations... on a fantasy kick again now after a recent scifi one

If you like Grimdark I recently read A Little Hatred by Joe Ambercrombie which was very good, and The Traitor God by Cameron Johnston which was good.
A Little Hatred is set a few years on from the First Law books and while it is generally all new characters, it's as good as the old ones I think.
The Traitor God. An on the run magician returns to his home city to avenge his best friend. There is lots of magic and daemons.

Other stuff that I've read recently:
Walking to Aldebraan by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Astranaut stranded on ancient artifact goes a bit mad. Not his strongest work but ok.
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. Second book in the series, it's a quick read that I'd say is better than the first. It's set in the far future where there are 'flows' that connect planets to allow interstellar travel, but these flows are closing and in most systems humans are living in habitats and not self sustaining...
Now reading The Air War by Adrian Tchaikovsky, you can't knock Shadows of The Apt series!

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