Mr. X Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Having just finished (as in 10 minutes ago) Spin, I've now read 3 of the 5 nominated novels. My rankings: 1 - Accelerando - True, it is not the most fun of Stross' books, but I think it's his most ambitious project and I think he wrote it well. 2 - A Feast For Crows - I do like it, and Martin is a consistently rich writer, but it is hampered by being a transitional book in the series. 3 - Spin - It's not a bad story, it has some cool ideas, but it's a little flat on characterization and storytelling. A worthwhile read, just not worthy of awards. Up next, Old Man's War Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowleo Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 I couldn't find Spin or Accelerando at either Barnes n Nobles or a local shop in Pasadena, so I haven't read anything but affc. (l feel guilty when I deliberately order books online. Wandering innocently by and into the shop feels less like feeding the habit.) Anyway, why are these books not in stock? Not popular? Or all bought out? snow "the other two nominees sound dumb" leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Anyway, why are these books not in stock? Not popular? Or all bought out? I almost missed "Spin" the day I bought it at a local B&N. It's already in mass market paperback and tucked away in the general SF/F section. All the other ones were sitting out on special display shelves, although I don't remember seeing "Accelerando" there either. Maybe try your local comic/sci-fi shop? (Assuming you have one.) Oh yeah, you can download Accelerando here. It's free and legal, posted by Stross himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 29, 2006 Author Share Posted May 29, 2006 Anyway, why are these books not in stock? Not popular? Or all bought out? snow "the other two nominees sound dumb" leo your sigs crack me up. Anyway, Spin was sold out when I stopped by B&N (Union Square, Manhattan) on Friday. Or maybe just not restocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 A Feast For Crows is the only book of the five that's been really succesful in sales. That could have something to do with them not restocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Up next, Old Man's War Okay, I finished the Scalzi book. It will jostle with Spin for 3rd or 4th place on my list. Entertaining, but relatively lightweight in the long run. Reminded me of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War a lot. For some reason I can picture it winning the Hugo based on its feel-good qualities and the votes of readers who like "classic" science fiction. I suppose I'll have to hit the library for the MacLeod book now, if only to be complete. Our book-buying expenses are getting a tad much. Must save some money for booze, of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 As I have mentioned before I have read them all but Spin, which I plan to read next week perhaps. At this point this is what I'm feeling at the moment: BEST NOVEL - Slight edge toward Accelerando, although I really enjoyed Learning the World. I'm hoping I'm blown away by Spin to make this choice easier. BEST NOVELLA - This is an pretty good group. When I can't tell it, I go with perhaps the best short fiction writer in the genre, and that is Kelly Link. BEST NOVELETTE - no opinion BEST SHORT STORY - That's an amazing story by Lanagan BEST RELATED BOOK - I really enjoyed Kate Wilhelm's entry, but have little (except Wolfe's Soundings) to comapre it to. cast) BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR - We send Scifiction off right - Datlow BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST - John Picacio in a landslide BEST SEMIPROZINE - Locus BEST FAN WRITER - Langford. It's amazes me Matt Cheney is not nominated here. JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER - I really feel like all but one of the authors belong on this list, and would be glad to see any of them win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 Nice list, Jay. I'll be interested to see what you think of Spin (as it seems to be a fairly polarizing book wrt award-worthiness). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Nice list, Jay. I'll be interested to see what you think of Spin (as it seems to be a fairly polarizing book wrt award-worthiness). I'm pretty interested, because although I get recommendations somewhat frequently (mostly on books I already have or was going to get anyway) when I made the comment on my blog that it's the only one I hadn't read I got emails from authors (a couple of of which I had never communicated with before then ) who emailed me just to tell me how it was easily the best of the bunch and I need to read it, which doesn't mean a damn thing but I thought it was interesting as while the books don't seem like a first rate group, the authors are really well thought of almost universally. It's always interesting to me to see author's opinion on a book (obviously just as diverse as fans) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenryng Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 My wife has been kind enough to print out the short stories and novelettes, as well as one or possibly two of the actual novels. So far, all I have managed to get through is the short stories. I don't want to give any spoilers away, so my reviews will be briefer than I would like. All reviews are based on one read apiece, and I wouldn't be surprised if I change my mind at some point. Down Memory Lane, by Mike Resnick - I considered this the worst of the bunch. Derivative and depressing, although I suppose some slight kudos for dealing with the subject matter. Clockwork Atom Bomb, by Dominic Green - I do not know if it was because of how this printed out, or if it was intentionally written this way, but I found the flow of the story abrupt and confusing at times. This was offset by the fact that the author gave the distinct impression that I was reading about a culture, real or imagined, that was totally different from anything I am used to. It is actually extremely rare for me to come across a story where a different culture is such an integral part of the story, although that may be simply because of my normal reading habits. I enjoyed the story, but it either was more complicated than it had to be, or he didn't do as well as he could have in explaining things. Singing My Sister Down, by Margo Lanagan - Easily the most flowing and consistent of all of the stories, and like the last story mentioned, a very good depiction of a different culture or lifestyle than I am used to. Based on all of that, this story is the best. And an interesting story. However, this raises a question. While I think that this is the best story from any technical point of view, what are the criteria for which a vote is placed? Overall achievement? Technical details only? Or is my decision supposed to be based on how well the story did at making me fall "into" the story and blot out the rest of reality? Meaning, some stories that I read, everything in the outside world will distract me. Others, my wife might need to call me several times in increasing volume and disgruntled tones before I realize that she needs me for something. If the vote is based on this criteria, then I actually prefer another story. Specifically.... Tk'tk'tk, by David Levine - Admittedly, I was able to discern the pattern of how things were going, but the author did the best job of making me want to read the story and be annoyed that it had to end. Not bad on creating the culture of the different species, either. Seventy Five Years, by Michael Burstein - I find this one interesting not because the writing style was different or original, but because of the whole politics/morals/ethics subject matter. I actually was morally emotional at the end of it, and was the story that I most wished I had someone to discuss the story with from a philosophical level. As I mentioned, not only are my reviews and opinions based on only one read apiece, but I had a disadvantage also in that it seemed like I was doing a project for a class, as opposed to reading for enjoyment. On the flip side however, I do not regret reading them at all, because the overall effect of differing writing styles and topic matters and whatnot was so much more expanded than my usual reading habits. Anyone interested in starting a second thread where these can be discussed in spoiler detail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I gave a crazy long breakdown on my site. The Crib notes version is: Martin Link Waldrop Lanagan Picacio Bishop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I gave a crazy long breakdown on my site. Good stuff. Again, thanks for linking all the short works. By the way, if anyone else is looking to check out all the nominated shorter pieces (i.e. novellas, novlettes, and short-stories), Stego links to all of them in his review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Thanks, X. Sorry you didn't like The Last Hot Time so much. I realize it might have been a book that just clicked with me personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Thanks, X. Sorry you didn't like The Last Hot Time so much. I realize it might have been a book that just clicked with me personally. Oh, I enjoyed The Last Hot Time. It was a fun read, and it certainly got a lot more interesting in the last third or so of the book. I think I was only a quarter of the way into it when I posted about it the other time. It would be more accurate to say that I didn't love it quite as much as you did. I still appreciate the recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faceless Man of Braavos Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 I think GRRM should have won for A Storm of Swords... not sure if he should win for Feast. Hopefully he has another ASoS in him. I'm not one of those who thought AFFC was terrible... I would just feel odd to win for Feast when ASoS was so bloody good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I just read the short stories today (and one novella). My vote goes to "Singing My Sister Down" by Margo Lanagan. It's a story that's very good and I never want to read it again. The other ones had their moments yet all gave me the "I've read something just like this before" vibe. Tomorrow, read more novellas and novlettes. I never knew there was such a thing as a novlette before I read about the Hugos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regina Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Here's my two cents on each of the stories I've read so far (sorry, loooong post): BEST SHORT STORY "Seventy-Five Years", Michael A. Burstein: I liked the topic for the way it combined personal history of the characters, morals, and politics; but the delivery felt flat. "The Clockwork Atom Bomb", Dominic Green: I liked the premise, but the writing felt quite choppy (to the point that I kept backing up to re-read a section thinking I’d overlooked something). "Singing My Sister Down", Margo Lanagan: Very strong on all counts, and worthy of the nomination. #1 "Tk'tk'tk", David D. Levine: The ending was hardly a surprise, and I felt like I’d read something similar before, but it was an enjoyable read regardless. "Down Memory Lane", Mike Resnick: I have to admit I’m a big softy and was touched by the subject matter of this one. BEST NOVELETTE "The Calorie Man", Paolo Bacigalupi: Good concept, but it didn’t hold my interest much for some reason. "Two Hearts", Peter S. Beagle: I was half afraid that this would be some sort of poor sequel and was happily proven wrong—very good. "TelePresence", Michael A. Burstein: I couldn’t help but feel I’d already read something similar. "I, Robot", Cory Doctorow: Not a bad story, but not very compelling either. "The King of Where-I-Go", Howard Waldrop: My favorite in this category, very well written. #1 BEST NOVELLA "Burn'', James Patrick Kelly: A good story, but not a compelling read. "Magic for Beginners", Kelly Link: Enjoyably quirky and fun to read. "The Little Goddess", Ian McDonald: Well written and one of the more original concepts, so I never felt like I’d read it before. #1? "Identity Theft", Robert J. Sawyer: While I enjoyed reading it, I did feel like I’d read this one before. "Inside Job", Connie Willis: Maybe not an award winner, but extremely enjoyable reading material. As to the novels, so far I've only read Feast and Accelerando. The later didn't exactly knock my socks off or "spin me around by my ankles" to steal borrow X-Ray's phrase. I don't regret reading it, but so far Feast is still ahead in my opinion for this category. I'll be getting Spin and Learning the World from the library tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes from there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regina Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Okay, I read Spin this weekend. I think X-Ray summed up my feelings exactly in an earlier post: My problem with the book rests with the characters' lack of blood or dimensionality. At first I thought that maybe it was because the book was told in the first person by someone who had been numbed by his experiences with the Spin...but I think it's more than that. So, in my eyes, Spin gets a 10 for a great concept, but a 6 for bland (not bad, just bland) prose. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading Spin. IMO, it truly deserves the nomination it received, but I'd hestitate to say I felt it deserves to actually win. If I'd felt a bit more spark while reading it, it might have gotten my vote. Learning the World is next on my list...and I still have to find a copy of Old Man's War, so I'm still holding off my final decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 One thing I will say: Stephan Martiniere is the finest creator of science fiction covers that I have ever witnessed. He should definitly get the award for best artist. Picacio has skills and I like most of his covers, but Martiniere is in a different league, one that embodies sense of wonder. www.martiniere.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcelo Rebelo Firqoralas Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 I just finished reading Spin and while I found it an entertaining read with some fascinating ideas, I thought it was far from great. It felt like reading an excellent sf novella stapled together with a mediocre mainstream novel. (In other words: great ideas, but sub-par characters and prose.) AFFC was far from perfect, but it's still superior compared to Spin, mostly because Martin is just a much, much better writer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.