Maybe I am being unfair. I've never liked the transition from the early set of books (1 - 4) to the later books, and that's probably coloring how I remember it.
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What are you reading? (March 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Maybe I am being unfair. I've never liked the transition from the early set of books (1 - 4) to the later books, and that's probably coloring how I remember it.
Tragicomedy
Member
Seven years?
And yet I know the complete story from the films.
I'm failing to understand the logic of your argument here. It reminds me of freshman year in college when a dude tried to argue that we couldn't really form an opinion about ancient Mesopotamian culture because none of us were alive back then. Of course we can. Just like we can study Italian despite never living in Italy, or know the Matrix trilogy is garbage despite skipping the third film completely.
It's important to frame that opinion in that context. I stated up front that I read the first two books, found them to be terrible, and abandoned the book series. I did experience the complete story via film.
Edit: Nevermind. I was just curious and it's not exactly important.
Thanks, Cyan.
Recently Read:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 3/5
Well written and easy read, I enjoyed it a lot. It did end on somewhat of a low point. I did find that the chapters rarely flowed together as one story that often, the time within the story moved very fast which I suppose is part of the reason for the ease of read but I still found it to be flawed
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 3/5
Extremely similar to the first on the pace of story and the ending was very similar, not enough explanation which reminded me of some Doctor Who level series final writing.
I did prefer the build of villain compared to the first.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 4/5
Best one yet, I knew all the story beats from having seen the the movie a few times but I was fully engaged by it.
The last 50 or so pages were great, I couldn't put it down till I finished even at a late hour.
Currently Reading:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Just finished reading
Enjoying it so far, the movie made the scale of everything seem so much larger if I remember correctly.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 3/5
Well written and easy read, I enjoyed it a lot. It did end on somewhat of a low point. I did find that the chapters rarely flowed together as one story that often, the time within the story moved very fast which I suppose is part of the reason for the ease of read but I still found it to be flawed
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 3/5
Extremely similar to the first on the pace of story and the ending was very similar, not enough explanation which reminded me of some Doctor Who level series final writing.
I did prefer the build of villain compared to the first.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 4/5
Best one yet, I knew all the story beats from having seen the the movie a few times but I was fully engaged by it.
Ending reminded me of Doctor Who but in a good way this time with the use of time travel.
Currently Reading:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Just finished reading
the first Triwizard task with the dragons.
Enjoying it so far, the movie made the scale of everything seem so much larger if I remember correctly.
In the movie idn't the dragon task take place in a stadium? The book makes it seem like it was just in the woods with people gathered around and a table for the judges, I could be wrong about that but that is what I pictured when reading.
King Gilga
Member
Due to being busy this is the first real book I've read in like 2 years.
It's been really interesting so far.
Using made-up* names for things that do no exists is perfectly normal in scifi and fantasy. I see nothing difficult about that, and there are "worse" examples than Dune.
Most of them end up being explained, or are obvious from the context (or at least when there's enough context).
Sometimes fiction does this badly of course. TV Tropes calls this "Calling a rabbit smeerp", where a smeerp is a thing that is just like a rabbit so the name is pointless. But most Dune's words either describe something that does not have a real (or English) equivalent, or to make the created world feel more real, by having it have its own customs, words and things.
One thing why i love Dune so much, many scifi worlds feel incredibly shallow.
Heck, sometimes real words are used confusingly, like The Force in Star Wars, which does not refer to force but is essentially magic. (Might be an example of that trope i mentioned above.)
*Funny thing about Dune's words is that they're based on real terms, evolution of language in-universe. For example, Kwisatz Haderach comes from Hebrew, and indeed does have similar meaning. Which is unusual for scifi in my experience, usually new words etc. have nothing to do with real things... (Though of course you find out about these only outside the book itself.)
Also funny thing about the Landsraad (in Dune, it is like a senate or parliament) as i notice you had it circled:
It took my ages to see why it would be an odd word for English speakers... because the word "raad" has a form in Finnish, "raati" (meaning council or jury or such, depending on the context), it was obvious for me. The problem was that i didn't realize there is no such term in English.
Tragicomedy
Member
I've criticized the plotting, dialogue, pace, shallow characters, and Deus Ex Machina magic system. Which of those fall under the strong point category?
I'm more than willing to admit that my criticism centers on the movies more than the books, since that's what I've experienced. My wife said they are pretty faithful, but I don't know first hand. She loves both.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
Huh. Well that has me excited again. But then I keep hearing the third book isn't very good....I think I'll just wait and see when I get there.
If you listen to Welcome to Nightvale this book should interest you. No, it's not related but the town and goings-on are certainly similar. It's a very YA book but I got it in a Humble Bundle a year or so ago and I decided I should start to read some of those books instead of letting them all sit there and go to waste.
I'm currently reading Roadside Picnic. I'm barely into it and it's already got me completely hooked. I haven't played any of the Stalker games, so can anyone chime in with how well they relate?
TheDangerMan
Member
I've read it before but every few years I get the urge to read it again, I find it helps me keep my head on straight.
Tragicomedy
Member
Magic systems shouldn't adhere to internal logic created within the story? Just toss whatever you want out there? No internal consistency? No problem! It's magic, after all!
Yeah...no. That's lame. Harry Dresden and Harry Potter share more than a first name, it would seem. Always have instant access to the right spell or ability at the right moment to get out of a bind. How awesome! How convenient!
There we have it: proof of the negative impact the Fisher Price My First Wizard series has on the Harry Potter generation. Expect very little from your fantasy and ye shall receive it.
Started a re-read of I HOTEL by Karen Tei Yamashita. I finished it a few years ago and thought it one of the finest novels I'd ever read, and I'm curious to see how it holds up still. Also kinda rue how it didn't win the National Book Award - usually zero fucks should be given about the awarding of these things, but seeing such a distinctly Asian work win in a world where Asian literature begins and ends with passages of Amy Tan in middle school would've been nice.
Also it might have meant a sane digital release. Now here am I with this awkward mass of bound paper in my hands. What is this caveman bullshit?
Also it might have meant a sane digital release. Now here am I with this awkward mass of bound paper in my hands. What is this caveman bullshit?
Very false.
Brandon Sanderson's essays on this are really interesting, recommended reading for all fantasy writers and readers:
http://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/
http://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-second-law/
http://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-third-law-of-magic/
Perfect Blue
Banned
It's really good. Basically a chronicle on Obamacare (and US healthcare in general) from a brief history of healthcare in the US, to the drafting (and lobbying) process of it, to the aftermath until present day. He spends a lot of the book acknowledging the absurdity of the system and how it's meant to serve insurance companies, drug companies, hospitals, and medical instruments companies. His thesis is that despite how Obamacare was created with positive intentions it's still a hugely flawed bill and merely tries to cover up the problems rather than actually reform them. The author seems pretty level-headed and fair so it's worth reading regardless of your opinions on the bill.
I've read it before but every few years I get the urge to read it again, I find it helps me keep my head on straight.
One of my favorite books. My wedding vows were drawn from the section on love.
Currently, I'm reading some comics, as well as this big bastard:
Which is an interesting spy novel taking place over a long period of time, involving both real and unreal incidents, woven together into a pretty interesting story.
Did you ever read Niven's logical magic series? The Magic Goes Away, etc.? I ran into them as a kid and they blew my mind, because there were actually rules. I followed that up with Thomas Hardy's Master of the Five Magics, which was another early "system" and became a big fan of magic that had consistent properties. I'm fine with either direction a writer wants to take, but the recent backlash against systems leaves me baffled.
Kyleripman
Member
Enjoy! Two awesome books. The Lost World is so much better than the movie. I consider these two plus Congo and Timeline to be "essential Crichton."
FUBAR McDangles
Member
What is absolutely insane to me is that after the success of the first one, Crichton was approached to write the second one. He does, then decides it is too complicated for a movie, and writes the entire second movie's storyline.
Which, obviously changed a lot of things for the worse. I don't understand how that can even really happen.
Tragicomedy
Member
I like you.
Fair enough. I still haven't read LOTR, but Mumei assures me they are spectacular. I loved the Hobbit as a young boy and loved it as an adult.
Kyleripman
Member
Whoah! I've never heard that he was involved in the script for TLW movie. Thought it was all David Koepp.
FUBAR McDangles
Member
Well of course I can't find where I read it in the first place to back up my claim, but from what I remember he thought the plot of the book was too complicated or long-winded to come across the way he wanted in a film.
So he wrote a different idea for the movie. Not the actual script/dialogue work but the overall story, I think.
Tragicomedy
Member
It's PKD's masterpiece in my mind. Have you seen the movie? Finish the book then jump straight into the film. It's very good, too.
affleck1981
Member
Just finished this:
It's not a bad book, but it does repeat itself a lot. It's a story about a bear that helped fight for the Polish during World War II and then emigrated along with the other soldiers to the Scottish Borders. My mum got it for me as I'm originally from the Borders and it's a bit odd to see your hometown mentioned in a book!
Like I said, not a great book but it does become surprisingly moving near the end when the soldier have to leave Wojtek in Edinburgh Zoo, with his handler making the decision to never see him again as it would be too stressful.
On to this one next!
It's not a bad book, but it does repeat itself a lot. It's a story about a bear that helped fight for the Polish during World War II and then emigrated along with the other soldiers to the Scottish Borders. My mum got it for me as I'm originally from the Borders and it's a bit odd to see your hometown mentioned in a book!
Like I said, not a great book but it does become surprisingly moving near the end when the soldier have to leave Wojtek in Edinburgh Zoo, with his handler making the decision to never see him again as it would be too stressful.
On to this one next!
FUBAR McDangles
Member
I finished Sanderson's Steelheart last night. As interesting and awesome as Mistborn was, this "real world" setting with random supervillains is just a cooler setting IMO. I've only been to Chicago a handful to times but hearing about how it devolved and how people have such special powers and all that is such a cool idea.
I caught both twists long before they happened though.
4/5 - good book. Really want to read the next one now.
I'm about to start the new Star Wars book. I am really looking forward to it.
I caught both twists long before they happened though.
Megan being Firefight and Prof being an Epic, I mean. But the idea that using the power corrupts them is pretty cool for sure.
I'm about to start the new Star Wars book. I am really looking forward to it.
No, i haven't read any of those.
Perhaps i should, i do prefer logical magic systems overall. (Makes RPG design difficult. I know my friends do not particularly care for logic, so i need to try to disguise things. No attempt so far has felt a good mix of logical feeling mysterious.)
Kyleripman
Member
Hmm, interesting. I remember seeing that he wrote the first draft of the JP script (that had a lot of differences), so I wouldn't be surprised if he was heavily involved. Though I do remember his old web site said he had not seen and didn't intend to see JP3, haha.
Something both novels do really well is the slow unfolding of the mystery over the first few chapters. Even though we know it's about dinosaurs, it's always fun to watch the characters slowly come to those conclusions.
Nice cover. I hated the last 2 books but I'm tempted to read it...
Cover art revealed for Scott Lynch's The Thorn of Emberlain. Set for publication before the end of the year.
I'm not reading this.
AngmarsKing701
Member
A little shameless plug. My book, Ahvarra: The Heart of the World, celebrates its one year publication birthday this week. I've got the Kindle version on sale for $1.99.
For those of you who already have it, thanks a bunch! I've probably had the most success from fellow GAFfers.
For those of you who already have it, thanks a bunch! I've probably had the most success from fellow GAFfers.
A Nervous Splendour - Vienna 1888 - 1889, by Frederic Morton. A very interesting read of life in Vienna, focusing mostly but not completely on Crown Prince Rudolf, leading up to his double suicide at Mayerling.
Fascinating stuff, and really well written. I just wish I could reduce the font a little more - it's a ridiculously big size even at the smallest.
Fascinating stuff, and really well written. I just wish I could reduce the font a little more - it's a ridiculously big size even at the smallest.
Maklershed
Member
I can vouch for it. Very fun read.
Sanderson is a master of magic systems. He may introduce new elements of the magic throughout a given series to surprise you and keep you interested, but they always make sense given the clearly thought-out rules of the system. It's always consistent and easy to comprehend, even when they're complex and rich, like stormlight. Argh. I love stormlight so much. It's the magic system and the currency of the world. It's just so...SO GOOD.
The best story is actually the third one I believe. The one about the scholar and his daughter. If you don't like the book by then, might as well put it down.
Found that to be the weakest story myself. Consul's story was easily my favorite but that's at the end
Reading A Game of Thrones. Though reading it on the kindle is a little discouraging because I bought the 4 book set that amazon has, it says I'm a whole 8% through. I'd really rather know how much I am through game of thrones not the whole four book set.
Locke Lamora
Member
Finished reading the first two books of Brandon Sanderson's Reckoners series.
Feels like the target group are young adults/ teenagers but as we know that never means that older readers can't enjoy these kind of books. And as someone who reads Dark Fantasy most of the time it was really refreshing to read something else. In fact I'm a little sad that I already finished both books and that I have to wait more than a year for Book 3, argh!
Feels like the target group are young adults/ teenagers but as we know that never means that older readers can't enjoy these kind of books. And as someone who reads Dark Fantasy most of the time it was really refreshing to read something else. In fact I'm a little sad that I already finished both books and that I have to wait more than a year for Book 3, argh!
AngmarsKing701
Member
Thank you!
I have about 30 pages left in Titus Alone and I'll finally be done with this.
It's pretty dense reading that took me a really long time for some reason. The third book is definitely not on par with the first 2. The middle book, Gormenghast, was great though. Peake is an excellent writer that really does have a fine command of the language and the setting is haunting. The prose is fantastic and deep. I'm not really sure there's anything out there quite like it.
I would definitely recommend the first two and stopping there.
It's great. I'll finish it today!