Datepalm Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 That's the first good argument i've heard for the book. I was too irritated with it by then, but I can see the big battle being pretty investmenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Damn, finally read through this thread and see I missed a discussion of Faith. I loved that book, if I ignore the pointless beginning and the 'oh wait this is sci-fi time to get weird' ending. But the middle part, damn that was good. And Peter, I am glad you are enjoying Bach because she is awesome. But I do feel I have to point out that she apologetically ripped a good portion of the setting from Warhammer (specifically the Paradoxan society). Though she is a better writer by far than anyone outside of Abnett I have read in that series. Best part of the Dev Morris series is it is finished, the third book won't be all the far out from the two that are out.Well. As long as she's not calling it warhammer, I'll read it. Still seems a little clunky (can't think of a better word for it). The set up to test the crew, the tension between the security folks, the badassedness of the paradoxians. All seems a little cheese dick. Reg has never led me astray though, and the book is good despite some minor short comings. So I'll press on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Well. As long as she's not calling it warhammer, I'll read it.Still seems a little clunky (can't think of a better word for it). The set up to test the crew, the tension between the security folks, the badassedness of the paradoxians. All seems a little cheese dick.Reg has never led me astray though, and the book is good despite some minor short comings. So I'll press on.I think its suppoed to be cheesy. Its part of the appeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbcooper Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 I read your review and agree with much of it, the 'criminally insane are smarter and better suited' thing, the oh so clever sexual references, all pretty silly. But the part in the middle where they are trying to outthink something that they have no idea how it thinks, I just ate it all up. Blind bombing, chase scenes, trying to suck eachother into gravity wells, the blind entry into whatever they called hyperspace. I just loved it all. I just didn't like the set up or the conclusion, it got in the way of a good space battle. And really that was what I read. A interesting 200 page space battle that kept being interrupted by characters I didn't care about, inside a sandwich of crappy breading. I cringed pretty hard at the explanation of using criminally insane people to crew these ultra-powerful super-expensive warships. I kept expecting an exposition on how the government keeps the crew from going ballistic and just nuking everything in sight. Alas, it wasn't forthcoming. I don't mind suspending belief but I have a harder time suspending logic and causality. I too stopped reading before the big space battle. Kinda makes me want to revisit Faith but I have too many other books on my plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Words of Radiance? Why are you reading that? I thought I could count on you, at least, not to give in to every bit of sentimental nostalgia that hits this forum! Only made it half way through. I hated that book. BS lost this consumer on with that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I uh, am kind of shocked he hasn't lost you before that. You arn't exactly his number one fan. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I uh, am kind of shocked he hasn't lost you before that. You arn't exactly his number one fan. :P I really, really, really liked Mistborn. I read it when I was deployed (one of the times), and for some reason fucking loved it. I also didn't hate his first outing with RJ's stuff, so i was willing to give him a go with the last few novels. Can't say I've been impressed. i also like to try and stay connected with the community, and the main players. I try to read what is coming out, and what seems to be big (within reason). I've got a lifestyle that allows for mass consumption of reading material, so I really don't lose a whole lot by giving most books a try. I make an honest attempt to finish them all, so I can discuss the works here, on the board. WoR was the only one i've actually stopped reading in recent memory. For me, that's bad, and I feel like I've let myself down… but hot fuck was it a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Killer Snark Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 You should all do what I do, and don't read any new science fiction unless it develops a sizeable level of respect and following first. That's how I decided to try out some Christopher Priest. I've only read one of his books, Inverted World, but boy, was it a cracker. Since I loved the film version of The Prestige, that means it's safe to read more. And I've got to read more Lucius Shepard, because Life During Wartime, superior within its subgenre, I'd say, than Haldeman's The Forever War, is so imaginatively textured and well written it's safe to say that Shepard is a very safe writer. With people like Philip K Dick, whose best novels are sometimes overstuffed with too many indiscriminate ideas to the point of verging on partial failure, you can say to yourself, "This guy's a genius, but he wrote a lot, and I'd hate to read him at his worst." And Dick was a Wordsworth-style very hit and miss genius, so cherrypicking's best based on the books whose reputation has grown with time. I generally wouldn't read any new books or serials of books by anyone unless the genre fandom has accepted it as being of high quality first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dietl Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 The Killer Snark:-starts a thread about "The Most Criminally Overlooked or Underrated Writers Ever"-yet writes: "...don't read any new science fiction unless it develops a sizeable level of respect and following first." :idea: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 The Killer Snark:-starts a thread about "The Most Criminally Overlooked or Underrated Writers Ever"-yet writes: "...don't read any new science fiction unless it develops a sizeable level of respect and following first." :idea:Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Killer Snark Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I don't claim to be consistent, though. I can occasionally be a hypocrite, I'll give you that. What I mean is, though, that eventually you learn if something is really good enough, if it develops at least a minor following among readers you can trust. But people have to read them first for this to happen, so, alas, I see your points of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 The Killer Snark: -starts a thread about "The Most Criminally Overlooked or Underrated Writers Ever" -yet writes: "...don't read any new science fiction unless it develops a sizeable level of respect and following first." :idea: I think he may be some sort of robot AI that has malfunctioned. That's my theory at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbcooper Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Only made it half way through. I hated that book. BS lost this consumer on with that one. Is the board's response to WoR generally this negative? I've stayed away from the threads relating to it since i don't want anything spoiled. But I've read some reviews that were glowing, but of course critical response is much different than consumer. Unrelated, I started reading Engines of God. Really enjoying it so far, it seems to be exactly the type of book I was looking for. I'd say, than Heinlein's The Forever War, You mean Haldeman? I generally wouldn't read any new books or serials of books by anyone unless the genre fandom has accepted it as being of high quality first I suppose the efficiency of this strategy depends largely on the people who compose fandom. Perhaps if by fandom you mean some popular forums where avid readers frequent, then that could work I guess. But if you are referring to the general population as fandom, then by that logic Twilight and The Hunger Games are the pinnacle of literature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Killer Snark Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I mean depending on the taste of fandom forums such as the one that we have here. Oh, and Joe Haldeman...Of course I meant Haldeman. D'oh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unJon Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Started The Inferior. Digging it so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyphillip Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 I will again recommend Fredrick Pohl's Gateway. It is one of my all time favorite books. It is about the discovery of ancient alien technology and space exploration. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Started The Inferior. Digging it so far.I dug it. No fan of YA am I, but I did like those books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbcooper Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 No fan of YA am I, but like these books I did. Fixed that continuity for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Fixed that continuity for you. Ha, very yoda'ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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