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What Are You Reading?

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    #6782
    CalamariFritti
    Registered Users Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭CalamariFritti


    Just finished The Reality Dysfunction trilogy. Absolutely epic space opera. Its huge but its worth every word of it. Still under its spell so maybe a little overenthusiastic but feels right now like one of the best if not the best I ever read.


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    #6783
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    CalamariFritti wrote: »
    Just finished The Reality Dysfunction trilogy. Absolutely epic space opera. Its huge but its worth every word of it. Still under its spell so maybe a little overenthusiastic but feels right now like one of the best if not the best I ever read.
    It's probably my favourite series of all time aswell, absolutely amazing. Everything he's published since has been solid gold aswell with very few exceptions.


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    #6784
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    It's always been one of my faves :)


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    #6785
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    Finished the 3 Body Problem/Dark Forest/Deaths End trilogy, turned out to be a pretty amazing series in the end, one of those sci-fi stories you'll never forget reading.


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    #6786
    CalamariFritti
    Registered Users Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭CalamariFritti


    Thargor wrote: »
    It's probably my favourite series of all time aswell, absolutely amazing. Everything he's published since has been solid gold aswell with very few exceptions.

    I'm amazed how you can have an arc this wide and a story so big and this many protagonists without ever going stale or losing the reader. We have the fate of mankind and a stereotypically dashing captain and a damsel in distress and Al fkn Capone in it and it all makes sense and its not ridiculous or too light or anything. Just wow.

    You could turn that into a 10 seasons TV series and if you did it right it would be the greatest TV series ever.


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    #6787
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    Yeah there isnt a single dip in quality throughout all 3 books and the books are bricks the same size as The Stand, I remember as a kid nearly crying when I finished it because I knew I wouldn't be reading anything like that again soon, I always associate it with 9/11 because I was reading it at the time and through all the craziness afterwards. Nights Dawn (Reality Dysfunction is the first book) and The Stand are probably the books Ive reread the most actually. People bitch about the ending and say his Commonwealth Saga is better but they're wrong, although you are in for a treat with Commonwealth, one of the best enemies and universes in any sci-fi.

    He's 2 books into the Salvation Sequence with the next one next year aswell and it sounds like its going to be good:
    Humanity's complex relationship with technology spirals out of control in this first book of an all-new trilogy from "the owner of the most powerful imagination in science fiction" (Ken Follett).

    In 2204, humanity is expanding into the wider galaxy in leaps and bounds. A new technology of linked jump gates has rendered most forms of transporation--including starships--virtually obsolete. Every place on earth, every distant planet mankind has settled, is now merely a step away from any other. And all seems wonderful...until a crashed alien spaceship is found on a newly-located world 89 light years from Earth, harboring seventeen human victims. And of the high-powered team dispatched to investigate the mystery, one is an alien spy...

    Bursting with tension and big ideas, this standalone series highlights the inventiveness of an author at the top of his game, as the interweaving story lines tell us not only how humanity arrived at this moment, but also the far-future consequences that spin off from it. (less)


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    #6788
    smacl
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    Thargor wrote: »
    Finished the 3 Body Problem/Dark Forest/Deaths End trilogy, turned out to be a pretty amazing series in the end, one of those sci-fi stories you'll never forget reading.

    Must give the rest of the trilogy another go so, sounds like I was too quick to give up on the very many enforced dehydrations ;)


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    #6789
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    Yeah the first book is the weakest, it turns into proper epic sci-fi after that.


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    #6790
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    I love the Reality Disfunction, but the Commonwealth Saga is even better ;)

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #6791
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Just started salvation now


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    #6792
    Mr Meanor
    Registered Users Posts: 197 ✭✭Mr Meanor


    Finished 'The Robots of Gotham' by Todd McAulty
    Set near the end of the 21st Century in a time of overt and covert war with billions of human beings, robots and AIs just trying to live together with possible future genocide for one group or another in the offing.
    Reminded me of older classical science fiction works with a protagonist and narrative you could actually root for!
    Anyway it was over 900 pages long and I flew through it, very enjoyable not the most original for the main part but different enough to enjoy.


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    #6793
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    Mr Meanor wrote: »
    Finished 'The Robots of Gotham' by Todd McAulty
    Set near the end of the 21st Century in a time of overt and covert war with billions of human beings, robots and AIs just trying to live together with possible future genocide for one group or another in the offing.
    Reminded me of older classical science fiction works with a protagonist and narrative you could actually root for!
    Anyway it was over 900 pages long and I flew through it, very enjoyable not the most original for the main part but different enough to enjoy.
    Oooo sounds good thanks.

    I read Sea of Rust recently, another robot uprising book, it was a complete and utter turd, one of the worst things Ive read.


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    #6794
    Manach
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,671 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manach


    The Goblin Emperor - so far it is promising to be an excellent read.


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    #6795
    ancapailldorcha
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 37,421 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    I've started The Last Wish. It's a collection of short stories that seem to be the first installment of the Witcher series. Thinking of playing the games so I thought I'd give these a go as they seem fairly short.

    We sat again for an hour and a half discussing maps and figures and always getting back to that most damnable creation of the perverted ingenuity of man - the County of Tyrone.

    H. H. Asquith



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    #6796
    alchemist33
    Registered Users Posts: 10,969 ✭✭✭✭alchemist33


    Halfway through The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch, and it's probably the best SF I've read in five years. The blurb references Inception and True Detective, but it's more than that, with time travel, alternative universes and elements of horror. The writing, imagination and characterisation are top notch and I'm rivetted.


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    #6797
    alchemist33
    Registered Users Posts: 10,969 ✭✭✭✭alchemist33


    CalamariFritti wrote: »
    Just finished The Reality Dysfunction trilogy. Absolutely epic space opera. Its huge but its worth every word of it. Still under its spell so maybe a little overenthusiastic but feels right now like one of the best if not the best I ever read.

    Probably my favourite author, and I've even met him in person. His world-building is fantastic- the closest I've seen to Banks. But I don't think his series are perfect. There's usually one arc that goes nowhere or seems to drag on too long. Everything else usually makes up for that though.


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    #6798
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    Halfway through The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch, and it's probably the best SF I've read in five years. The blurb references Inception and True Detective, but it's more than that, with time travel, alternative universes and elements of horror. The writing, imagination and characterisation are top notch and I'm rivetted.

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33413556-the-gone-world

    Ooo that sounds great thanks.


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    #6799
    cdgalwegian
    Registered Users Posts: 1,916 ✭✭✭cdgalwegian


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    Halfway through The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch, and it's probably the best SF I've read in five years. The blurb references Inception and True Detective, but it's more than that, with time travel, alternative universes and elements of horror. The writing, imagination and characterisation are top notch and I'm rivetted.
    Thargor wrote: »
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33413556-the-gone-world

    Ooo that sounds great thanks.

    Hard sci-fi with heart. Definitely gonna try that.


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    #6800
    Blowfish
    Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭Blowfish


    ancapailldorcha wrote: »
    I've started The Last Wish. It's a collection of short stories that seem to be the first installment of the Witcher series. Thinking of playing the games so I thought I'd give these a go as they seem fairly short.
    I liked the Witcher stuff a lot. It doesn't try and do anything particularly new or unique with the genre, but the characters and relationships between them make it.

    Like yourself I hadn't played the games, but making myself through the first one now, definitely a fair amount of references to the book that you'd easily miss.


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    #6801
    ancapailldorcha
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 37,421 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    Blowfish wrote: »
    I liked the Witcher stuff a lot. It doesn't try and do anything particularly new or unique with the genre, but the characters and relationships between them make it.

    Like yourself I hadn't played the games, but making myself through the first one now, definitely a fair amount of references to the book that you'd easily miss.

    Aye and the books seem fairly short and straightforward which is a nice change from the Malazan series. Apparently, the developers gave Geralt amnesia for the games so that they could do something new without alienating new players.

    We sat again for an hour and a half discussing maps and figures and always getting back to that most damnable creation of the perverted ingenuity of man - the County of Tyrone.

    H. H. Asquith



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    #6802
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Thanks for the recommendation of Gone World, whoever that was. Great read. Didnt massively like the ending but i get it.
    I wasn't expecting to enjoy it - even got a free sample first to try out but yep

    Salvation books were great as well. Very Hamilton though he's toned down the stereotypes something massive. Can't wait to find out what happens next. Annoying typos in it though

    Enjoying the scifi kick. I got another expanse novella to look forward to. Also got a free smple of a neal asher polity novel. Not sure about that one yet.
    Open to recommendations. Just not anything by Banks


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    #6803
    nhur
    Registered Users Posts: 217 ✭✭nhur


    bluewolf wrote: »
    Enjoying the scifi kick. I got another expanse novella to look forward to. Also got a free smple of a neal asher polity novel. Not sure about that one yet.
    Open to recommendations. Just not anything by Banks

    I hear you on Banks! Ditched him for Vernor Vinge (Fire Upon the Deep etc.) - good concepts and stories.
    Reading Tchaikovsky's Children of Time atm - about halfway. Like it a lot. However, am keen to get back to Fantasy after many months of sci-fi

    for my money - and based on what I've read to date... best sci-fi is by Alistair Reynolds... and best fantasy is by Steven Erikson


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    #6804
    Mickeroo
    Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,159 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    ancapailldorcha wrote: »
    I've started The Last Wish. It's a collection of short stories that seem to be the first installment of the Witcher series. Thinking of playing the games so I thought I'd give these a go as they seem fairly short.

    The short story books and season of storms are pretty enjoyable and more similar in spirit to the games. The main saga is pretty poor though, gets better towards the end but the first three books are a slog (blood of elves, time of contempt & baptism of fire).

    I find he's great at writing characters but not a great storyteller.


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    #6805
    Mr Meanor
    Registered Users Posts: 197 ✭✭Mr Meanor


    bluewolf wrote: »
    Open to recommendations. Just not anything by Banks

    Alistair Reynolds, 'Galactic North', 'Elysium Fire'
    Orson Scott Card 'Wyrms'
    and for something a bit different 'Windup Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi


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    #6806
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Thanks. I hated windup girl but will look at the others!


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    #6807
    Mr Meanor
    Registered Users Posts: 197 ✭✭Mr Meanor


    bluewolf wrote: »
    Thanks. I hated windup girl but will look at the others!

    Yes Windup Girl is a bit of a Marmite selection.
    Also want to add for anybody interested.
    Stephen Baxters 'Flood' series
    and for fantasy-scifi Charles Stross 'Laundry Files' series


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    #6808
    Thargor
    Registered Users Posts: 17,881 ✭✭✭✭Thargor


    The Flood series is spectacular.


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    #6809
    shrapnel222
    Registered Users Posts: 3,118 ✭✭✭shrapnel222


    bluewolf wrote: »
    Thanks. I hated windup girl but will look at the others!

    yeah it was crap. Premise was great, but turned out to be rubbish


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    #6810
    Dades
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    Halfway through The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch, and it's probably the best SF I've read in five years.
    Started this last night. If I don't like it you owe me a fiver! :P


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    #6811
    pixelburp
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 35,941 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    bluewolf wrote: »
    Thanks. I hated windup girl but will look at the others!

    I've only read The Water Knife, and TBH thought it really poor; the world building was fascinating & quite unique (US States effectively at war with each other over dwindling water supplies, the East coast lost to climate change), but the execution & prose was lazy and kinda hackneyed. Maybe it was intentional but it often read like bad Noir thriller writing, the main mob boss' particularly awful.


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