Support NeoGAF

[Salsa]

I havent been reading anything cause I sort of became lost on a Clash of Kings cause I was reading without paying much attention, if that's possible

since I wasnt really feeling it I just left it there and did something other than reading. Not really looking forward to going back into it but at the same time putting off reading because I told myself to finish it.

I really should just move on

 

[Dresden]

Going through Abaddon's Gate right now. The writing is still punchy enough to keep things moving, but after about 1/4 of the novel I don't like most of the new cast, the setup feels heavily contrived, and in general it feels less like a conclusion to a trilogy and more like the start of a new one. Not too implausible given that the duo signed up for additional novels in their Expanse universe, but still, disappointing.

 

[Laekon]

Going through Abaddon's Gate right now. The writing is still punchy enough to keep things moving, but after about 1/4 of the novel I don't like most of the new cast, the setup feels heavily contrived, and in general it feels less like a conclusion to a trilogy and more like the start of a new one. Not too implausible given that the duo signed up for additional novels in their Expanse universe, but still, disappointing.

Thanks for the quick review. I forgot this came out this month and plan on picking it up.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Doesn't surprise me, you being a 9er fan and all.

So what type of books are you into then?

Gaiman
Hemingway
Murakami
Maugham
Gibson

Are just a few authors I like. I ended up buying Heinlein's "Stranger in A Strange Land" and Gaiman's "Smoke and Mirrors." I might get Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because I have never read it. I have $14.99 left in my account.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Gaiman
Hemingway
Murakami
Maugham
Gibson

Are just a few authors I like. I ended up buying Heinlein's "Stranger in A Strange Land" and Gaiman's "Smoke and Mirrors." I might get Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because I have never read it. I have $14.99 left in my account.

You might dig The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.

 

[TheKaeptain]

You might dig The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.

Sounds pretty good. Thanks!

 

[charlemagne]

To me it was, I was trying to go in the book with an innocent, pure mind, not having any assumptions about the end! =_=

Did you really have strong doubts it would end that way?

 

[ShaneB]

Going through Abaddon's Gate right now. The writing is still punchy enough to keep things moving, but after about 1/4 of the novel I don't like most of the new cast, the setup feels heavily contrived, and in general it feels less like a conclusion to a trilogy and more like the start of a new one. Not too implausible given that the duo signed up for additional novels in their Expanse universe, but still, disappointing.

Definitely stick with the new characters. My initial post about the book was the same feeling, that I wasn't feeling the new characters at all, but I certainly grew to love them all.

I'm enjoying 'Tell No One', definitely a high octane thriller.

 

[Maklershed]

Speaking of Abaddon's Gate, I'm at the part where

Spoiler

Holden enters the sphere and is chased by the Martian Marines and they get demolished by the weird bug statue things.

Lovin it!

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Speaking of Abaddon's Gate, I'm at the part where

Spoiler

Holden enters the sphere and is chased by the Martian Marines and they get demolished by the weird bug statue things.

Lovin it!

The first of this series is only $3. So I bought it.

THANKS!!

 

[Mumei]

EXPLICIT TERTIA PARS LAPIDIS HISTORAE

Still fantastic! I am a little leery about Parts 4 and 5 given the issues of authorship, but I think even if they are a step down individually the work as a whole is still going to be one of my very favorites, at least based off of what little I've heard.

Currently Reading:

• The Story of the Stone, Vol. 4: The Debt of Tears
• Metamorphoses, by Ovid; translated by Charles Martin
• Troilus and Criseyde, by Geoffrey Chaucer; translated by Nevill Coghill
• Rape is Rape: How Denial, Distortion, and Victim Blaming are Fueling a Hidden Acquaintance Rape Crisis, by Jody Raphael

I also picked up Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson by Geoffrey Ward. I haven't really started reading it yet, but I have flipped through it a bit and read random pages. His is a fascinating story. Once I finish a couple of the others I will start that.

 

[dream]

You know, as far as Unforgivable Blackness goes, I way prefered Ken Burns's documentary.

 

[ShaneB]

Speaking of Abaddon's Gate, I'm at the part where

Spoiler

Holden enters the sphere and is chased by the Martian Marines and they get demolished by the weird bug statue things.

Lovin it!

Yes!

Spoiler

Miller's line at the end of that chapter is chilling.

 

[lmpaler]

Finished 1984 last week. Just started Atlas Shrugged

 

[Jarlaxle]

What genres are you interested in? Here are a few science fiction / fantasy (ish) suggestions:

• The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
• The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
• Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
• The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
• The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
• A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter M. Miller
• The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship Of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente
• The Once and Future King, by T.H. White

Some of them have sequels or are parts of larger constellations of works (e.g. Tolkien, LeGuin's Hainish Cycle), but ... whatever. They still work as standalone books.

I'd like to add Tigana by Guy Gavria Kay. Excellent stand alone fantasy.

 

[Mumei]

You know, as far as Unforgivable Blackness goes, I way prefered Ken Burns's documentary.

I've seen it!

 

[Collete]

Did you really have strong doubts it would end that way?

Yes! I really thought it would be something I wouldn't expect...But then it was everything I expected...=_=

 

[Error]

Any recommendations here? I figure it would be neat to read a Bond book finally, but I certainly don't care to get them all. lol



About CyberStorm

Spoiler

The end dump of exposition I was dreading as well, but I did at least like the fact that everything felt very plausible, a perfect storm of events that lead to what went on. Very chilling, but yeah, I wish it just wasn't all done at once. Still loved it though.

Let me know what you think of Nexus, that's on my to-read list someday as well.

Going by the first 3 chapters it's pretty awesome, it's a bit cyberpunkish. I haven't read a lot yet, but so far it's worth the kindle price.

 

[mu cephei]

I'm currently reading a few things at once, which isn't usual for me:
England Made Me by Graham Greene - I've never read anything by him before, and I'm really enjoying this so far.
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes - This is also good, but I'm not that far into it.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness - I loved the first book of the series, but the second book was rather angsty and melodramatic, so my enthusiasm isn't too high for the third book.

I'm considering making a plan of spending the next month reading as many skinny books as possible so I feel like I'm making a dent in my backlog.

 

[ShaneB]

Going by the first 3 chapters it's pretty awesome, it's a bit cyberpunkish. I haven't read a lot yet, but so far it's worth the kindle price.

Sounds good to me, I'll bump it up the list and make it a priority.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Supposedly Richard Matheson died but I can't find a source to confirm it.

 

[Maklershed]

Supposedly Richard Matheson died but I can't find a source to confirm it.

The movie they turned I Am Legend into is criminal. The book was fantastic with a great message and it was all dumped in the trash. The only worse violation I can think of is The Postman.

 

[Ceebs]

I have had this book sitting around for years now so I decided to finally read it.

 

[jacobs34]

A couple of reads from last week.

It's such a treat to read David Foster Wallace's conversation's with a interviewer that he has become comfortable with. You get the feeling that Wallace is often times holding back his huge intellect out of some kind of guilt, or not wanting to seem condescending to Lipski. I wish this book went on for 1,000 pages, and had ton's of footnotes of course!

After reading (and loving) Kav and Clay and Yiddish Policeman's Union this year, I took a chance on this book of nonfiction material from Chabon and was not impressed. The essays just never hit home with me. Still have to get around to reading Telegraph Avenue.

I think the next three books are going to be Nos4a2, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, and The Orphan Master's Son.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Can anyone recommend some good revenge tales, aside from Count of Monte Cristo?

 

[Mifune]

Funny vignettes about various bar losers, loners, addicts, and lifers. There's nothing here you haven't read before but deWitt's witty writing makes it work. A fun, breezy read. Not as good as The Sisters Brothers, though.

First in a series of detective novels set in Thailand. Great character work (with one glaring exception) and stunning atmosphere. Wish the mystery at its core was more compelling, but what's good here is really good.

Also continuing my reread of Gravity's Rainbow. So good the second time through.

 

[eattomorro]

Finished off Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey tonight and yeah have to say that was a pretty fun ride. Anyone else think they should turn the series into a set of movies?

Now onto something a little different with L. Frank Baum's, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I bought my copy at recoveringtheclassics.com where they have tons of cool covers for public domain books.

 

[Nappuccino]

Continuing my Jo Nesbo streak, I read The Snowman over the last week.

I spent a lot of the book bored with the main character, bored with the idealized nature Nesbo writes him in, bored of the way he works Alcoholism into the narrative and themes, and bored of the side characters that act more like caricatures than characters in this novel.

Then the last 100 pages rolled around and I was completely engrossed in the plot and the way every little scene turned out to be important (again). Suddenly the first 2/3s felt justified and redeemed.

It's definitely his most straightforward and Hollywood novel so far. No grand commentary on Norway's efforts in WWII. No dredging up war criminals from the Balkins. Just a good old-fashioned serial killer killing people because that has work to accomplish and a motive going all the way back to childhood. But it's done so well that by the end, I didn't really care much.

Shame his next book seems to have all the excesses and few of the positives.

edit: trying to figure out what to read next

the next novel in this series
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon (Had it for years, the PTA movie got me curious again)
The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace
Shriek: an Afterward by Jeff VanderMeer

 

[The Albatross]

ANybody read the new Neil Gaiman?

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Can anyone recommend some good revenge tales, aside from Count of Monte Cristo?

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie, though it helps if you've read his First Law trilogy (but not mandatory).

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie, though it helps if you've read his First Law trilogy (but not mandatory).

Yeah that's one of my favorites, loved it.

 

[qizah]

I haven't got much reading done lately. I have about half of A Dance with Dragons left to finish.

I also bought this for $2.99:

Then I bought this today for $5.99:

I've never read Ender's Game. I actually started getting into books recently, so I'm looking forward to it. Also never read 1984 or Animal Farm in High School, but bought both for $0.99 a while ago.

 

[Nappuccino]

a recommendation from a professor I still talk with

That is an amazing cover. And it's a PKD book I still don't own. I may have to correct this.

 

[Haly]

ANybody read the new Neil Gaiman?

Short but good. Pretty heavy.

Here's my post on it, not really a review, more of a post-mortem: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=65290261&postcount=466

 

[ShaneB]

Finished off Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey tonight and yeah have to say that was a pretty fun ride. Anyone else think they should turn the series into a set of movies?

Eh, movies no, since I'd worry about so much getting left out lol, so I was thinking more or less a HBO miniseries for each book would be pretty awesome.

Finished Tell No One last night. 4/5 stars. Really liked it, and was a hell of a thrill ride start to finish with great characters, but nothing I think will stand out when I look back on my favourite things I've read this year. Still a fun read when you want a break from something though. There was a french movie adaptation that is apparently very good that came out a few years ago, so I think i'll watch that this weekend as well.

Now to decide what's next, been thinking the Hunger Games books since I figure they'll be fun summer reads, and it'll be nice to read a trilogy that ends. Or maybe I'll look for something a bit more adventurey, basically Indiana Jones in book form maybe.

 

[Nymerio]

I'm almost half-way through Midnight Tides. I'm liking well enough but it is a bit annoying that it still hasn't continued the plot from the previous book. I know it's Trull's story and it is interesting but I wasn't expecting it to be this long. It was the same with Karsa's story but I don't think it went on that long.

 

[Moff]

Eh, movies no, since I'd worry about so much getting left out lol, so I was thinking more or less a HBO miniseries for each book would be pretty awesome.

yep, HBO series is what I think all the time while I am reading the expanse.

speaking of the expanse, I am quite a newbie to scifi, are there other book (classics) like it, but better?

 

[Larsa]

I'm almost half-way through Midnight Tides. I'm liking well enough but it is a bit annoying that it still hasn't continued the plot from the previous book. I know it's Trull's story and it is interesting but I wasn't expecting it to be this long. It was the same with Karsa's story but I don't think it went on that long.

Midnight Tides is the last of the books that establish a new storyline and setting. The rest of the books are all a continuation of earlier storylines and characters. Also Tehol and Bugg are the best characters.

Started reading this earlier today and I'm already halfway done. This book is mad entertaining. Crazy that it was published the same year as The Fellowship of the Ring. I love the pace and the crazy mixing of mythologies and heavy metal vikings.
If the second half is just as good this will be one of my favorite stand alone fantasy novels.

 

[Unconditional]

I'm almost half-way through Midnight Tides. I'm liking well enough but it is a bit annoying that it still hasn't continued the plot from the previous book. I know it's Trull's story and it is interesting but I wasn't expecting it to be this long. It was the same with Karsa's story but I don't think it went on that long.

The whole book pretty much covers Trull's story as this part sets the stage for one of the later books. It's still a good read. I really enjoyed the Tehol/Bugg sections. I'm on book 7, Reaper's Gale, and things are making a lot more sense now. Just dig into Midnight Tides and enjoy it for what it is. You'll probably end up liking it more than you thought. I know I did. If not, you'll be back to the previous plot soon enough.

 

[Jintor]

Finished:


The Journalist and the Murderer. Janet Malcolm by Janet Malcolm

Starting (for the first time!)


Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

 

[Nymerio]

Midnight Tides is the last of the books that establish a new storyline and setting. The rest of the books are all a continuation of earlier storylines and characters. Also Tehol and Bugg are the best characters.

YESS. I mean to mention them in my post. They keep cracking me up. "What are your plans for today master?", "I was thinking of going back to bed". They're right up there with Kruppe and Prust.

The whole book pretty much covers Trull's story as this part sets the stage for one of the later books. It's still a good read. I really enjoyed the Tehol/Bugg sections. I'm on book 7, Reaper's Gale, and things are making a lot more sense now. Just dig into Midnight Tides and enjoy it for what it is. You'll probably end up liking it more than you thought. I know I did. If not, you'll be back to the previous plot soon enough.

Good to know. It's not like I don't like the book it's just that I'm a bit disappointed that it didn't continue were the last one ended. But it's still really good and has some great characters.

 

[Maklershed]

On the hard copy side of things, I just started Empire Falls


Empire Falls by Richard Russo

 

[Mackenzie 92]

On the hard copy side of things, I just started Empire Falls


Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Haven't read the book, but the HBO mini-series was great.

 

[duckroll]

Finished Abaddon's Gate. That was really pretty damn disappointing. I felt most of the writing was average in every possible way. The pacing was weak, the new characters introduced mostly sucked, and the thematic core of the book was fairly weak. The decision to frame the book around the question of faith vs pragmatism with regards to looking at a cosmic mystery was a bad idea. The authors seem to lack the personal experience or research to deliver the argument on either side with any sort of finesse or in a compelling narrative. Many of the character motivations and plot points felt like strawmen to "make a point" which comes off as lame rather than entertaining.

The set pieces were also fairly boring, and lacked the flair and imagination the first two books had. The first half of the book was honestly quite a drag to read because it was mostly made up of filler meant to manoeuvre the characters into place for the second half of the book. When stuff actually started happening though, it was just so predictable that I couldn't find myself caring for anything at all. So many corridor gunfights, cover based combat, bullet sponge enemies... wow it sounds like I'm bitching about a bad FPS. Fair comparison though.

It's also pretty funny to see how many similarities there are between this series and the Mass Effect trilogy. Some of it was probably inspiration, and a lot of it is probably just due to the fact that both are rather generic scifi stories drawing from the same source of many better and older scifi stories.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Hmm I was thinking about trying to get back into that series after not enjoying LW, but you may have just killed any motivation I had, Duckroll.

 

[ShaneB]

If my opinion means anything, I never had any of those issues with it at all.

 

[duckroll]

I think the comparisons by critics to "blockbuster movies" for The Expanse series are really apt. That's what they are. Big loud blockbusters with cookie cutter characters, narratives which are made up of stringing together certain set pieces with inconsistent filler, weak character development, and really ridiculous/dumb villains. The escalation is also artificial and intended to excite in a superficial way.

I've had issues with how all three books have been written, but I think the series was strongest in the first 2/3 of Leviathan Wakes when it was still pretty aware of what it was and played to its own strengths. With Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate, it became increasingly apparent to me that the writers had the intentional of wanting the story to be about more than just explosions, but they don't seem to have the capability to pull off a convincing narrative from those angles.

It's rather unfortunate I think. I wonder how much of this is a result of how fast the books come out. With the books coming out once a year, that doesn't seem like it's a lot of time for proper reiteration and editing. I really enjoy the setting in the books, but at this point, that's about all I still like. :/

 

[Dresden]

This is depressing. Abraham should stop churning out four, five books a year.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

I really enjoyed Caliban's War, but I am finding Abaddon's Gate to be a step backwards. I'm a couple hundred pages in, and it feels like characters are frequently acting in a frustrating matter. Melba's plot feels like a dud for me right now. I don't like seeing characters either making irrational leaps of logic or missing blindingly obvious clues right in front of them, and it feels like there's been a good amount of that.

Caliban's War felt like a very well organized book that was thematically strong and gave all of the characters material to work with, but Abaddon's Gate to the point I'm at hasn't had that. Bull's chapters have probably been the highlight so far. I'm hoping some of this will improve since I'm not quite at the halfway point, but duckroll's comments aren't exactly filling me with hope.

 

[duckroll]

I really enjoyed Caliban's War, but I am finding Abaddon's Gate to be a step backwards. I'm a couple hundred pages in, and it feels like characters are frequently acting in a frustrating matter. Melba's plot feels like a dud for me right now. I don't like seeing characters either making irrational leaps of logic or missing blindingly obvious clues right in front of them, and it feels like there's been a good amount of that.

Caliban's War felt like a very well organized book that was thematically strong and gave all of the characters material to work with, but Abaddon's Gate to the point I'm at hasn't had that. Bull's chapters have probably been the highlight so far. I'm hoping some of this will improve since I'm not quite at the halfway point, but duckroll's comments aren't exactly filling me with hope.

I agree about Caliban's War. I didn't love it like some others did, but in the end it was a tightly plotted book, and it provided perspectives I wanted to see - especially expanding on the Earth setting and the political world in this universe. I also found the characters in Caliban's War enjoyable to read, even if I felt the overall narrative was a bit too clean and naive. It's definitely very well "organized" but I guess I'm not a huge fan of narratives which feel like it all fits too well together. That gives it an artificial element. I felt that Caliban's War exposed the weaknesses in the writers which weren't really that apparent in Leviathan's Wake, but not to a point where the book itself was bad.

On the other hand, Abaddon's Gate feels like the culmination of all the little things which were weak in LW and CW. Characters which are just plot points, people who do things for exaggerated or unreasonable/irrational reasons just to move the story forcefully into certain directions, and a really unsatisfying way of resolving just about any sort of development throughout the entire book.


Edit: I just felt like writing more thoughts on this, I hope I'm not "hogging" the thread in any way. ^^;

I think that I can contextualize my main dislike for the Expanse series - I really hate the naivety in the characterization and how the narratives actually praise and reward it. I dunno if others feel the same way, but I actually get annoyed at how the books seem to really enjoy placing characters into "good" and "bad" roles, and then showing that the writers understand that some of what the "good" people do can actually have bad outcomes but at the same time "it's all okay at the end as long as you stay true to your motives". There's a lot of that in Holden's development in the first book. There's a ton of that all over Chrisjen and Prax in particular in the second book. It becomes the entire "point" of the third book. It feels cheap to me. Like victories at the end are not actually earned, but rather gifted by the storytellers because good people deserve good results even if everything goes bad.

I'm not really against idealistic storytelling if it fits, but I really feel that this issue with the series holds it back and makes it less enjoyable, because what I want out of a space opera story with a relatively "realistic" setting is a narrative which is a bit dirtier, more ambiguous, and less clean cut. Sometimes it almost feels like I'm reading a Young Adult novel, where the author is trying to preach or teach something to the reader about morals and doing the right thing. That really annoys me.