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[Christoff Yurievich]

Finally finished Mr. Cadillac and it was a little too predictable. There was an amazingly low body count for a King novel but I assume that's because it was grounded in reality with nary a supernatural boogieman in sight. The ending of the book (like, the literal last two or three paragraphs) was weird though.

 

[aidan]

I've just started The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

So far, it's mostly featured scenes from the sixties, as it sets up the main characters. I've enjoyed it so far, in part because I've never read Chinese science-fiction before, and the feel and the tropes used are different from those in the west. It's also interesting, as the book begins with a fairly harsh critique of the Cultural Revolution. I haven't gotten to the science bits, yet, really.

I'm very curious to hear your final thoughts on this book. It's been getting great reviews, and has been burning a hole in my Kindle for a couple of months now.

 

[besada]

I'm very curious to hear your final thoughts on this book. It's been getting great reviews, and has been burning a hole in my Kindle for a couple of months now.

I'll make sure and do a full review for you. I like that it has extensive cultural footnotes, to help those of us with less than perfect understanding of Chinese history and culture.

 

[aidan]

I'll make sure and do a full review for you. I like that it has extensive cultural footnotes, to help those of us with less than perfect understanding of Chinese history and culture.

I've seen mixed opinions about the footnotes (some argue that it removes the reader from the story, and would be better served in an appendix at the end of the novel), but I've always enjoyed the technique when used in similar novels. I trust Ken Liu (a wonderful short story writer, who's debut novel is coming out from Saga Press next year) implicitly.

 

[besada]

I've seen mixed opinions about the footnotes (some argue that it removes the reader from the story, and would be better served in an appendix at the end of the novel), but I've always enjoyed the technique when used in similar novels. I trust Ken Liu (a wonderful short story writer, who's debut novel is coming out from Saga Press next year) implicitly.

I like that on the Kindle they throw you to the footnote on its own page, then throw you right back to where you were. If you don't want to read them, they aren't cluttering up the bottom of the page, and you don't have to worry about reading a footnote whose text you haven't reached yet. Generally speaking, I think most books don't need them, but given the cultural and historical differences, I've been finding them really helpful.

 

[aidan]

I like that on the Kindle they throw you to the footnote on its own page, then throw you right back to where you were. If you don't want to read them, they aren't cluttering up the bottom of the page, and you don't have to worry about reading a footnote whose text you haven't reached yet. Generally speaking, I think most books don't need them, but given the cultural and historical differences, I've been finding them really helpful.

That sounds like the best implementation of footnotes for fiction. Glad I've got the kindle version, then.

 

[ShaneB]

the First Fifteen Lives of Henry August

What did you think of it?

I'm just nearing a third completed, and I'm having trouble really feeling like I've been hooked at all =( Just feels a lot denser than I'd like, and of course I can't help but compare to Replay, which I liked a lot more.

 

[lightus]

Guess what I just got in the mail

Ah that's nice!

Think I'm going to pick that up myself. It's only $23 on Amazon right now.

 

[Pollux]

What did you think of it?

I'm just nearing a third completed, and I'm having trouble really feeling like I've been hooked at all =( Just feels a lot denser than I'd like, and of course I can't help but compare to Replay, which I liked a lot more.

I loved it. Honestly one of my favorite sci fi books of the year.

It really starts to come together around 40-50% through when the main bad guy is revealed and the plot starts to coalesce around the

Spoiler

end of the world that the little girl warned about at the beginning of the book

spoiler is from the first couple chapters but just marking it for people who haven't started reading the book yet.

Proxima by Stephen Baxter looks pretty good - going to read some reviews and I might make that my next book. Although I still have to finish the Calliban's War books...

 

[Mackenzie 92]

What did you think of it?

I'm just nearing a third completed, and I'm having trouble really feeling like I've been hooked at all =( Just feels a lot denser than I'd like, and of course I can't help but compare to Replay, which I liked a lot more.

I don't think I was really invested until the 2nd half. Hopefully it starts to click for you.

 

[Jimothy]

Wow. Revival is stellar so far.

 

[LProtag]

Everyone was raving about it earlier in this thread so I preordered the hardcover collection of the Southern Reach trilogy. It came in on Tuesday and I've dived into it pretty hard, splitting my free time reading this and playing Dragon Age.

I'm somewhere in the middle of Authority right now and I'm loving it. I'll probably finish the whole thing next week sometime, especially since I'll have some days off for Thanksgiving.

Also, I just went from being a long-term substitute teacher to being a regular substitute teacher, and while I don't have a consistent schedule or get paid as much, I have a lot more time to read. Prep periods I don't have any prep to do, so that's reading. Study halls I don't have any prep to do... so more reading time. If the kids are working quietly and they're a good class I can sneak some reading time in then too. It's pretty great. If only it paid a decent wage.

 

[Shengar]

What makes Southern Reach popular here? Could someone explain its strenght to me?

 

[DiscoShark]

Just finished Proxima by Stephen Baxter

I enjoyed it, although, as always, Baxter's prose is just complicated enough to convey the ideas and not a whit more complicated. In short, if classic science-fiction (Golden/Silver age) bothers you this probably isn't for you. But, if you can read Asimov, Clarke, etc. comfortably, this might be right up your alley.

Hello next book. Thanks for the heads up on this!

 

[Tragicomedy]

What makes Southern Reach popular here? Could someone explain its strenght to me?

Is your house in order?

 

[Clevinger]

Thanks to whoever in one of these threads was talking about this series.

I'm halfway through the first book and it's fantastic. Great characters, story, and funny as hell.

 

[Shengar]

Is your house in order?

Maybe....yes?

 

[ShaneB]

I loved it. Honestly one of my favorite sci fi books of the year.

It really starts to come together around 40-50% through when the main bad guy is revealed and the plot starts to coalesce around the

Spoiler

end of the world that the little girl warned about at the beginning of the book

spoiler is from the first couple chapters but just marking it for people who haven't started reading the book yet.

Proxima by Stephen Baxter looks pretty good - going to read some reviews and I might make that my next book. Although I still have to finish the Calliban's War books...

I don't think I was really invested until the 2nd half. Hopefully it starts to click for you.

I'll stick with it, just hope I hit that point soon where I have to keep reading.

Wow. Revival is stellar so far.

Yeah, I loved it!

 

[Mr.Swag]

What makes Southern Reach popular here? Could someone explain its strenght to me?

I just like the way it's written

Like poetry son
Check out the sample of the first book

 

[besada]

Hello next book. Thanks for the heads up on this!

If you like Golden Age sci-fi, Baxter's catalog is your friend. He's an anachronism of sorts. Big ideas, long vision, but considerably more focused on the ideas than the people. He's channeling pre-New Wave writers. His Xeelee Sequence is phenomenal in the field of cosmic level, long-time science-fiction.

 

[Woorloog]

If you like Golden Age sci-fi, Baxter's catalog is your friend. He's an anachronism of sorts. Big ideas, long vision, but considerably more focused on the ideas than the people. He's channeling pre-New Wave writers. His Xeelee Sequence is phenomenal in the field of cosmic level, long-time science-fiction.

Do you happen to know anyone who does both?

I gotta make note about Proxima, i do like Asimov's and Clarke's stuff well enough.

 

[ArcLyte]

Just finished book 1 of

Awesome, pulpy fun.

Praise based Abnett. Eisenhorn is the ultimate badass.

 

[besada]

Do you happen to know anyone who does both?

I gotta make note about Proxima, i do like Asimov's and Clarke's stuff well enough.

I think guys like Greg Bear and David Brin and Gregory Benford synthesize the two traditions best. Lots of big ideas, but with characters you remember. Kim Stanley Robinson is great, too. Rudy Rucker does crazy singularity, big idea, science fiction but has crazy characters and a gonzo style, but in my experience you either love Rucker or are simply baffled by him.

 

[Krowley]

If you like Golden Age sci-fi, Baxter's catalog is your friend. He's an anachronism of sorts. Big ideas, long vision, but considerably more focused on the ideas than the people. He's channeling pre-New Wave writers. His Xeelee Sequence is phenomenal in the field of cosmic level, long-time science-fiction.

I read a book by him years ago called The Time Ships. It's basically a "what if" sequel to HG Wells Time Machine, and it had all sorts of cool ideas, really stuck with me.

I probably need to give the Xeelee Sequence a try.

 

[Necrovex]

As I search for books to place in my backlog for my two-year move to South Africa, I decided to check the "100 Best Novel" list that is linked in the OP. I looked over at the reader side of the tally, and I died a little (also due to laughter) that the Reader's Side of the list has Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead at the top two spots.

Spoiler

You chaps can also recommend must-read novels for my move too!

 

[WickedCobra03]

Mocking Jay just because I have not read it since it came out and to familiarize with the book again if anyone wants to go to the movie.

Otherwise, I should be done with it by Thanksgiving, and then I was going to tie into The Enders Shadow which I got from a used bookstore in San Francisco for $2. Couldn't go wrong.

 

[Necrovex]

Mocking Jay just because I have not read it since it came out and to familiarize with the book again if anyone wants to go to the movie.

No one should undergo that type of pain. I'm sorry for your loss. :-(

 

[hythloday]

Earlier this year I started The Wheel of Time.

Last night I finished:

I definitely understand the mid-series criticism now. I think this was the worst so far. The entire time I wondered when something would happen.

Spoiler

It's almost all talking. Some people Did Things, but overall it was mostly people planning and maneuvering and talking. Then things started happening and THE BOOK ENDED. Christ. Edit: And let's be sure and give all 5,000 Aes Sedai names and give them at least one line of speech, so someone talks out of nowhere and you think they're someone significant that you've forgotten.

 

[Aurelius]

The story drags on a bit, and it's sometimes reads like a tacky romance novel, but the writer clearly did a lot of research on Edo-period Japan.

 

[Krowley]

Earlier this year I started The Wheel of Time.

Last night I finished:

I definitely understand the mid-series criticism now. I think this was the worst so far. The entire time I wondered when something would happen.

Spoiler

It's almost all talking. Some people Did Things, but overall it was mostly people planning and maneuvering and talking. Then things started happening and THE BOOK ENDED. Christ. Edit: And let's be sure and give all 5,000 Aes Sedai names and give them at least one line of speech, so someone talks out of nowhere and you think they're someone significant that you've forgotten.

Yep, that book was hell to get through.

The next book is great, though, every bit as good as the best books early in the series, and after that it just stays awesome till the end.

 

[eznark]

Just finished it. I loved it. The writing was perfect. Story was so so but the writing was so damn crisp. I also finished Whiskey Tango Foxtrot this week and while both stories leave huge holes, The Peripheral feels like a complete story while WTF feels like a cheap cliffhanger.

 

[fakefaker]

Finished up The Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard by Arthur Conan Doyle and really thoroughly enjoyed it. It had humor, drama, adventure, and tons of other stuff that make it such a good book.

As my job takes me outside during the Xmas season and there's lots of downtime, I'm going to have an outside book and inside book to read. Outside will be Masters of the Maze by Avram Davidson, and inside will be The Collector by John Fowles.

 

[Trey]

I'm looking for something in the military science fiction vein. I'm thinking of Eric Nylund's Halo books as a base, but something with a contemporary Starship Troopers or even Ender's Game vibe will do. Any recs?

 

[Loke13]

Earlier this year I started The Wheel of Time.

Last night I finished:

I definitely understand the mid-series criticism now. I think this was the worst so far. The entire time I wondered when something would happen.

Spoiler

It's almost all talking. Some people Did Things, but overall it was mostly people planning and maneuvering and talking. Then things started happening and THE BOOK ENDED. Christ. Edit: And let's be sure and give all 5,000 Aes Sedai names and give them at least one line of speech, so someone talks out of nowhere and you think they're someone significant that you've forgotten.

s yeah that one had to be my least favorite book of the series but on the bright side you're finally passed the hump books 11 through 14 move the plot forward by leaps and bounds.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Just finished it. I loved it. The writing was perfect. Story was so so but the writing was so damn crisp. I also finished Whiskey Tango Foxtrot this week and while both stories leave huge holes, The Peripheral feels like a complete story while WTF feels like a cheap cliffhanger.

I need to pick this up. I love Gibson's writing.

 

[Lé Blade Runner]

Iain M. Banks' Culture -saga. Currently on "Use of Weapons". Very good stuff.

 

[hom3land]

I'm looking for something in the military science fiction vein. I'm thinking of Eric Nylund's Halo books as a base, but something with a contemporary Starship Troopers or even Ender's Game vibe will do. Any recs?

The forever war

 

[sparky2112]

I'm looking for something in the military science fiction vein. I'm thinking of Eric Nylund's Halo books as a base, but something with a contemporary Starship Troopers or even Ender's Game vibe will do. Any recs?

Anything by Dan Abnett.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Is your house in order?

Spoiler

I was a little bummed by how easy it was to tell that Control was under hypnotic...er, control for the phone calls. Maybe it was supposed to be obvious? If so then I'm ok with it but I just felt like the book series was a 'learn as you go' and that you weren't supposed to figure stuff out until the person in the story did.

 

[Tragicomedy]

Spoiler

I was a little bummed by how easy it was to tell that Control was under hypnotic...er, control for the phone calls. Maybe it was supposed to be obvious? If so then I'm ok with it but I just felt like the book series was a 'learn as you go' and that you weren't supposed to figure stuff out until the person in the story did.

Spoiler

I believe you were supposed to realize that based on what we had previously seen in the first book. The phrasing and word choice matched up with the style we saw used on Ghost Bird's crew.

 

[chifanpoe]

Started this on Sunday:

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Spoiler

I believe you were supposed to realize that based on what we had previously seen in the first book. The phrasing and word choice matched up with the style we saw used on Ghost Bird's crew.

Makes sense then.

 

[besada]

Spoiler

I was a little bummed by how easy it was to tell that Control was under hypnotic...er, control for the phone calls. Maybe it was supposed to be obvious? If so then I'm ok with it but I just felt like the book series was a 'learn as you go' and that you weren't supposed to figure stuff out until the person in the story did.

Spoiler

I thought it was obvious, too, but I've seen quite a few people who didn't understand that Control was under hypnotic suggestion from the moment he arrived.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

How's the payoff in the Southern Reach books? I finished the second book the other day after struggling with it, as it just felt like it lacked a lot of what appealed to me about the first.

So, I've just started the third book, and it seems like it's going to be more in the vein of the first one, am I right on that? At this point, I'll probably finish either way.

 

[Trey]

Anything by Dan Abnett.

The forever war

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi.

Thanks, will check these out.

 

[Tragicomedy]

How's the payoff in the Southern Reach books? I finished the second book the other day after struggling with it, as it just felt like it lacked a lot of what appealed to me about the first.

So, I've just started the third book, and it seems like it's going to be more in the vein of the first one, am I right on that? At this point, I'll probably finish either way.

The third book returns to what made the first book so interesting. Area-X and Ghost Bird are front and center again. Some answers are revealed, but even more questions come up.

If you loved the first book, I suspect you'll love the third. If you define "payoff" in terms of everything is spelled out clearly at the end of the trilogy, then no.

 

[Plasticine]

Still slogging through Prince Lestat by Anne Rice. Really not feeling the novel so far. When I received an ebook version of Joe R. Lansdale's upcoming novella, I decided not to wait for the physical release in January.

The story is set on an island that acts as a graveyard for a neighboring prison island. The worst of the worst international criminals are taken to this facility to be locked-up indefinitely or executed. The latest dead prison is brought to the island late one stormy night. It took four jolts from old sparky plus a plastic bag over his head to put this old boy down. Suitably creeped out by the dead man, the three graveyard worker set about their job of burying his strange metal coffin that's been chained shut. Unfortunately for them, Prisoner 489 isn't quite dead.

Fast paced, fun and entertaining. If I hadn't started reading it so late, I could have tore through the book in a single sitting. The writing isn't as colorful as you'd usually expect from Lansdale, but still creates a nice bleak atmosphere for the island. He also reigns in the humor a bit, but throws in a few hilarious lines here and there. Lansdale briefly touches on a huge idea about the prison, that I'd love to see him explore later on. The Santiago Caruso illustrations are beautiful, and I can't wait to see them in their full glory once the hardcover comes out. All in all, it's another winner from the reigning champion of Mojo Storytelling.

 

[Rug Monkey]

Just read the unabridged robin buss translation of the Count of Monte Cristo for the first time since I was 14 or 15...my god it is such a fantastic book. May be my favorite of all time. I forgot how philosophical the book gets at points, and how quickly the story moves along. I also forgot what a dick the count was (understandable considering what he went through). What do I even read now that can match up??

How about some biography?


The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

 

[besada]

I finished Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem, but I'm not entirely sure what to say about it. It's part of a three part trilogy, so it seems unfair to judge it without seeing what book two has in store. That said, it's a weird book.

Maybe it's a first contact story, or maybe its a history of the Cultural Revolution, or maybe it's a conspiracy story, or maybe it's a little bit of each. I can't really say without some fairly major spoilers.

The prose itself is okay, if not particularly exciting. There are some interesting big ideas here, including a proton-sized computer unfolded from seven dimensions, using the sun's gravity well to boost transmissions, an online game about the three body problem, and some early seemingly impossible acts eventually explained in a scientific manner.

The characters are largely cardboard cut outs, with the exception of one of the main characters, who we follow through a long history. Liu has so much stuff going on after the opening that there isn't much time to spend on characters.

If I didn't know it was one of three, I'd say it was the grimmest first contact book I've ever read. But there's no telling what's going to happen next volume, so I'm not sure. I enjoyed it, but found some of the choices baffling, and was left at the end without much enthusiasm.

 

[hythloday]

Yep, that book was hell to get through.

The next book is great, though, every bit as good as the best books early in the series, and after that it just stays awesome till the end.

s yeah that one had to be my least favorite book of the series but on the bright side you're finally passed the hump books 11 through 14 move the plot forward by leaps and bounds.

You know, I'm only on Chapter 1 of Knife of Dreams and it's already amazingly good. Good enough that I snuck in a few pages at work. I'm glad the rest of the series keeps it up!