September 2016 Reads

[Peadar]

7 hours ago, brunhilda said:

Wow, I should have hated it and I didn't. I loved it. What a roller coaster. Read it in one sitting. Are the cannibalism ones worth reading?

I'd try a sample just to be sure  But those books are currently out of print now. You might get them in a library. Really glad you liked The Call!

4 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

How's the author supposed to answer that?  

 Thanks REG for starting a thread on the book. I'll stay completely out of it!

[brunhilda]

10 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

How's the author supposed to answer that?

Authors are supposed to remain fuzzy concepts unrelated to real message boards!

[brunhilda]

6 hours ago, Peadar said:

I'd try a sample just to be sure  But those books are currently out of print now. You might get them in a library. Really glad you liked The Call!

You hit about every negative point that usually keep me away from a novel: 

Spoiler

Horror in general. Body horror in particular. Sadism. Nightmare worlds. Bleakness. Apocalypse. Rapey and obsessed secondary villain with a clique of meanies. Hunger Games + Twilight + Faeries. (The Faeries in particular worked here because you didn't attempt to explain them or make them relatable. They were horrifying and scary and strange.)

Despite those, the writing was fresh and fast, and Nessa was the perfect viewpoint character. Whatever you're doing, please keep doing it.

[Peadar]

2 hours ago, brunhilda said:

You hit about every negative point that usually keep me away from a novel: 

  Hide contents

 

Despite those, the writing was fresh and fast, and Nessa was the perfect viewpoint character. Whatever you're doing, please keep doing it.

Many thanks!

 

For me, making good and enjoyable progress with The Graces. About 33% sayeth the Kindle...

[Lyanna Stark]

I loved the crap out of Ancillary Justice. 100% unadulterated fangirl squee for this one. So no nonsense, so brisk, with the most excellent pacing, yet with so much subtle feeling. It's the anti-thesis to melodrama, to be sure. It veers towards plot heavy instead of focusing on character development, but it certainly doesn't lack in that department. I thought it was quite subtle, and nicely done.

Oh and it totally lacks sexual objectification due to its neutral gendering, and it is so relieving, like a cloud that moved away and let the sunlight in. I read it while travelling, I read it while walking, I read it when I really ought to sleep, I read it while cooking and while eating.

In fact, I feel like I am unable to get Ancillary Mercy and Ancillary Sword delivered fast enough. I would like to have them *now*.

[beniowa]

Finished Wild Cards 23: High Stakes.  The plot was stronger than the last book, Lowball, and the characterization was better.  However, I felt it was probably a hundred pages too long with too much overlap between the point-of-view characters.  Probably could have used a little more editing. 

Now reading Guardians of the Galaxy: Castaways by David McDonald. 

 

40 minutes ago, Lyanna Stark said:

I loved the crap out of Ancillary Justice. 100% unadulterated fangirl squee for this one. So no nonsense, so brisk, with the most excellent pacing, yet with so much subtle feeling. It's the anti-thesis to melodrama, to be sure. It veers towards plot heavy instead of focusing on character development, but it certainly doesn't lack in that department. I thought it was quite subtle, and nicely done.

Oh and it totally lacks sexual objectification due to its neutral gendering, and it is so relieving, like a cloud that moved away and let the sunlight in. I read it while travelling, I read it while walking, I read it when I really ought to sleep, I read it while cooking and while eating.

In fact, I feel like I am unable to get Ancillary Mercy and Ancillary Sword delivered fast enough. I would like to have them *now*.

Sword and Mercy are smaller in scale, but are just as good as Justice.  Definitely one of the best trilogies of the last few years in my opinion.

[williamjm]

19 hours ago, brunhilda said:

Wow, I should have hated it and I didn't. I loved it. What a roller coaster. Read it in one sitting. Are the cannibalism ones worth reading?

I think if you liked The Call you should like them as well, there are definitely some similar elements even if the setting is significantly different so you have aliens and advanced technology as opposed to the Sidhe and ancient mythology.

Finished Stephenson's Snow Crash yesterday. Maybe it was because of a necessary reading break of about 4 days before the last 40 pages but I found the ending a little too brief and somewhat lame after the build up before.

Stephenson isn't really noted for his endings.

[Iskaral Pust]

I'm pretty exhausted with work travel and could not face starting Pillars Of The Earth -- a long time item on my to-read list but I've already seen the TV adaptation and have some serious doubts.  So instead I reread the Generation V tetrology as I schlepped through airports.  Still a light fun read, just as much fun on reread but clearly I need to add some more appealing books to my Kindle. 

[Darth Richard II]

11 minutes ago, Iskaral Pust said:

I'm pretty exhausted with work travel and could not face starting Pillars Of The Earth -- a long time item on my to-read list but I've already seen the TV adaptation and have some serious doubts.  So instead I reread the Generation V tetrology as I schlepped through airports.  Still a light fun read, just as much fun on reread but clearly I need to add some more appealing books to my Kindle. 

Your doubts are well founded.

[williamjm]

Apparently Irish boarding schools and the Sidhe is this month's theme, since I'm following up The Call with Ian McDonald's King of Morning, Queen of Day.

[brunhilda]

4 hours ago, Lyanna Stark said:

I loved the crap out of Ancillary Justice. 100% unadulterated fangirl squee for this one. So no nonsense, so brisk, with the most excellent pacing, yet with so much subtle feeling. It's the anti-thesis to melodrama, to be sure. It veers towards plot heavy instead of focusing on character development, but it certainly doesn't lack in that department. I thought it was quite subtle, and nicely done.

Oh and it totally lacks sexual objectification due to its neutral gendering, and it is so relieving, like a cloud that moved away and let the sunlight in. I read it while travelling, I read it while walking, I read it when I really ought to sleep, I read it while cooking and while eating.

In fact, I feel like I am unable to get Ancillary Mercy and Ancillary Sword delivered fast enough. I would like to have them *now*.

I too adored Ancillary Justice. I'd like to pretend the other two novels didn't happen. I enjoyed them but that's because I really really like tea.

[williamjm]

12 minutes ago, brunhilda said:

I too adored Ancillary Justice. I'd like to pretend the other two novels didn't happen. I enjoyed them but that's because I really really like tea.

While the trilogy didn't really go in the direction I was expecting it to after the ending of the first book, I did still like Sword and Mercy[/i] a lot as well. I think maybe Sword is perhaps a bit too slow-moving at times but I think the story does come together well at the end of the series.

[Darth Richard II]

I loved all three, although a lot of the stuff in Sword doesn't pay off til Mercy.

[Lyanna Stark]

On 12/09/2016 at 4:26 PM, SeanF said:

A very interesting write up. I agree with a lot of what you say/

  Reveal hidden contents

I also thought it unrealistic that so many beautiful aristocratic women would fall for Crispinus, who is, after all, a long way down from them socially. 

My impression was that Styliane cared for nothing other than avenging her father's death.  Not even the prospect of becoming Empress really interested her, which is where Valerius went wrong;  he thought that Styliane had figured out that she and Leontes would succeed Alixana and him in due course, and that she'd be satisfied with this.

I viewed Gisel differently to you.  I thought she was a remarkably cold-blooded woman, who didn't leave any potential loose ends hanging around.  She had her six guards killed, for fear that any one of them might have overheard her conversation with Crispinus, and she made sure of Styliane by the end.  I don't doubt she would have had Alixana killed, had the latter ever emerged from hiding, and I suspect Alixana was aware of this.  My impression of Gisel was that she was advancing the interests of Gisel, much more than the interests of her own people.

The high points of the story for me were the chariot races, the scene on the island when Crispinus and Alixana visit Styliane's brother, the confrontation between Valerius and his assassins, and the hunt for Alixana through the city.

As an aside, Byzantine history is full of extremely interesting women.  Theodora rising from being a prostitute, to co-ruler of the Roman Empire and canonised as an Orthodox saint;   Irene, who was chosen to be Empress by means of a beauty contest, and (not exactly overflowing with maternal sentiment) later blinded her own son in order to seize the throne and restore the veneration of icons (she was almost made a saint);  Anna Comnena, a gifted intellectual who tried to murder her own brother to secure the throne, Theophano, who murdered two husbands and was the mother of probably the greatest Emperor (Basil II) all read like characters from far-fetched novels, but their stories are true. 

 

 

I posted the response over in the Guy Gavriel Kay thread after I realised I had forgotten to reply to you here (sorry, and I saw your post about it in the other thread. ) It worried me a bit to clog down this thread with too many lengthy replies on only the Sarantine mosaic.

 

Started Railsea by Mieville and it's the first time ever I have seen the word "town" used as a verb, which made me snigger.

"This is where farmers farm, next to where towns town"

There's also a town called "Bollons" which I keep reading as "Bollocks", causing even more sniggers from me. I feel like I am reading this novel all wrong.

[Darth Richard II]

1 hour ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

Starting Ancillary Justice as soon as I finish Bag of Bones.

Quick question in that regard. Does anybody know what in the sweet name of fuck this is supposed to be?

I dont know but I think my brain just died.

[Lily Valley]

On 9/13/2016 at 0:40 PM, Let's Get Kraken said:

Well, I'm giving another whack at this Bakker fellow that everyone around here seems to love so much. About a hundred pages into TDtCB. We'll see where it takes me.

I keep trying to read him, but it's so haaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd.

On 9/13/2016 at 2:35 PM, Lyanna Stark said:

I loved the crap out of Ancillary Justice. 100% unadulterated fangirl squee for this one. So no nonsense, so brisk, with the most excellent pacing, yet with so much subtle feeling. It's the anti-thesis to melodrama, to be sure. It veers towards plot heavy instead of focusing on character development, but it certainly doesn't lack in that department. I thought it was quite subtle, and nicely done.

Oh and it totally lacks sexual objectification due to its neutral gendering, and it is so relieving, like a cloud that moved away and let the sunlight in. I read it while travelling, I read it while walking, I read it when I really ought to sleep, I read it while cooking and while eating.

In fact, I feel like I am unable to get Ancillary Mercy and Ancillary Sword delivered fast enough. I would like to have them *now*.

I LOVE THAT SERIES!!! The next two are fantastic.  Just excellent.  Third one is hilarious.

On 9/13/2016 at 6:38 PM, brunhilda said:

I too adored Ancillary Justice. I'd like to pretend the other two novels didn't happen. I enjoyed them but that's because I really really like tea.

BLASPEMY!  Lyanna, don't listen.  You're going to love them.

Currently still grieving over missing worldCon, so I ordered everyone's books.

I have The Call, currently finishing Six of Crows and JR Johanson's YA trilogy is on the way.  One Night in Sixes is on my desk at work and I think Nicole Giles has a new book out too.   I finished her trilogy earlier this year and my inner 11 year old girl was VERY HAPPY.

The third book of the Three Body Problem series will be released on the 20th.  That's a Tuesday.  I can't wait.

[Darth Richard II]

17 minutes ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

This is my third attempt (third time was the charm with Gardens of the Moon, so I'm hoping it will stick this time). I'd probably have given up now, but the way people rave about it around here I figure it has to become pretty great eventually.

It's a bit of an acquired taste.

[RedEyedGhost]

31 minutes ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

This is my third attempt (third time was the charm with Gardens of the Moon, so I'm hoping it will stick this time). I'd probably have given up now, but the way people rave about it around here I figure it has to become pretty great eventually.

How far have you made it the first two times?  I think I remember the first 200 pages being difficult, and then rolling along from there.

[Lyanna Stark]

2 hours ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

Can't recall, but never this far. I think the first time I got two chapters in and ditched when I discovered Robin Hobb. Second time I got almost to where I'm at now. I'm forcing myself to at least finish the first book this time. I mean the prose is excellent, but the story just hasn't grabbed me yet.

Yes, it hardly makes any sense until you are perhaps half way through, or more. It's an odd one. Also sometimes you sort of have to go with the flow and just continue without getting bogged down in the details, of which there are many.

So, Railsea by Mieville. Either I got smarter or is Railsea some sort of almost YA-attempt or something? I've only been baffled by words maybe three or four times, haven't felt much need to grind my Thesaurus to dust, and overall I can read it twice as fast as even The Scar. Although this sentence:

Quote

"Be assured I know now your vehicle's name, & at first sign of that beckoning metal in a sinuate mustelid eruchthonous presence, I shall take careful notes of locations."

kinda threw me, I must admit.

The word construction "nu-salvage" and it being kinda rubbish also amuses me with its nu-metal connotations, and every time I read it I keep thinking "China Mieville hates Nickelblack".

I am sure I am missing something important in the meta analysis, or the symbolism of the trains. Also Railsea feels like a cross between a steampunk-train story, one about seafaring (Moby Dick is an obvious influence, of course, but also the word choices) but then it also feels a bit like a sort of Lovecraftian-touched Western, but post-apocalyptic. The there's the modernist writing, giving it a bit of a mid 20th century vibe to me (cos most modernist poets I read are mid 20th century). I feel my genre-meter is *extremely* confused.

[Jo498]

I am about 1/3 through Cryptonomicon and so far I am not really getting the point. So far about three tales are told in a nice, very leisurely fashion, not bad, not brilliant either, sometimes funny, and apparently they are going to connect themselves somehow but overall it is not very exciting. Compared to the wild ride of "Snow crash" this reads almost like some of those James Michener doorstops ("Hawaii", "Alaska",...) , only with briefer episodes in each story and only two time periods (cryptographers and marines in WW II, and some of their grandchildren? doing start up IT business in the late 1990s).