August '18 Reading- (Insert Clever Subtitle)

[Garett Hornwood]

Last week I was on vacation and spent some of the time reading some short books, here's a quick list: The Book of Acts by Wilson Paroschi, Jedi the Last (William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Eighth) by Ian Doescher, Kings & Queens of England and Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry, Tournament Upstart by Thomas J. Dygard (REREAD), and Game Plan by Thomas J. Dygard (REREAD).

I'm currently reading Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny as my primary book, I'm reading Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archives #1 edited by Margaret Weis as my home only read, and I'm reading Laying Down the Law by Keith Augustus Burton as my weekend read.

[Starkess]

Had a quiet day today so I was able to finish up Snow Crash. I liked it a lot, but didn't love it. The plot was too thin at points and too convoluted at others (omg that info dump), and there was one scene that unquestionably read as a rape scene in my mind and then wasn't treated as one which was kinda blech. Definitely an inventive book and had lots of gee-whiz things that made it worth reading, but I wouldn't rank it at the top of any list. The only other book I've read by Stephenson is Anathema, which I loved, so I'll give some of his others a try at some point.

Not sure what is next. Have a few holds at the library but not sure when they'll come in. Been wanting to read Shadows of the Apt for a long time, and all this talk about it is keeping it fresh in my mind, but the library doesn't have it so I'm gonna have to shell out and it's a long series...might wait for a couple weeks, I'm sure I'll get an Amazon gift card for my birthday. Ugh impatience. In the meantime, I'll read some physical book that was gifted to me, I have a few rattling around that I've been meaning to get to. Maybe Underground Airlines.

[unJon]

9 hours ago, Starkess said:

Had a quiet day today so I was able to finish up Snow Crash. I liked it a lot, but didn't love it. The plot was too thin at points and too convoluted at others (omg that info dump), and there was one scene that unquestionably read as a rape scene in my mind and then wasn't treated as one which was kinda blech. Definitely an inventive book and had lots of gee-whiz things that made it worth reading, but I wouldn't rank it at the top of any list. The only other book I've read by Stephenson is Anathema, which I loved, so I'll give some of his others a try at some point.

Not sure what is next. Have a few holds at the library but not sure when they'll come in. Been wanting to read Shadows of the Apt for a long time, and all this talk about it is keeping it fresh in my mind, but the library doesn't have it so I'm gonna have to shell out and it's a long series...might wait for a couple weeks, I'm sure I'll get an Amazon gift card for my birthday. Ugh impatience. In the meantime, I'll read some physical book that was gifted to me, I have a few rattling around that I've been meaning to get to. Maybe Underground Airlines.

If you loved Anathema but only liked Snow Crash, I recommend you try Cryptomicron and (if you are up for the challenge) his Baroque Cycle. But definitely Cryptomicron. 

[Iskaral Pust]

3 hours ago, unJon said:

If you loved Anathema but only liked Snow Crash, I recommend you try Cryptomicron and (if you are up for the challenge) his Baroque Cycle. But definitely Cryptomicron. 

 Very much agreed.  His cyber punk work was ok but his more expansive works are much better.  Just ignore the libertarian fanboy aspect of Cryptonomicon.  

[Mexal]

I'm reading Neuromancer by William Gibson. Wife has been trying to get me to read this for ages so finally taking the plunge.

[williamjm]

15 hours ago, Starkess said:

 

Not sure what is next. Have a few holds at the library but not sure when they'll come in. Been wanting to read Shadows of the Apt for a long time, and all this talk about it is keeping it fresh in my mind, but the library doesn't have it so I'm gonna have to shell out and it's a long series...might wait for a couple weeks, I'm sure I'll get an Amazon gift card for my birthday. Ugh impatience. In the meantime, I'll read some physical book that was gifted to me, I have a few rattling around that I've been meaning to get to. Maybe Underground Airlines.

The Apt series isn't a monolithic series like the Wheel of Time,  the first four books up to Salute the Dark form a fairly complete story arc followed by some sequels that are partially standalones and then a closing trilogy bringing the different storylines together.

I've just started Andy Weir's Artemis. The lunar setting seems interesting so far but it feels like the plot hasn't really started yet. 

[ljkeane]

I just finished Christopher Ruocchio's Empire of Silence which was ok-ish. It's the kind of thing I like as a sort of fun, low effort read but some of the writing and characterisation was a little clunky. I'll probably give the next book a go given it was his first book.

Next up I'm going to read Redemptions Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky who's usually reliably good.

[Starkess]

Thanks, good to know! I'll definitely keep Cryptonomicon on my list.

[Paxter]

All done with Uprooted. This mostly lived up to the hype for mine: a straightforward but interesting plot, great cast of characters and a fantastic ending. I think Novik tried to riff off Eco/The Name of the Rose in the middle with an attempt at castle intrigue. That section didn’t work for me at all and things certainly got a lot better when the plot returned to The Wood. But overall I enjoyed this one a lot.

Now on to Exit West.

[LongRider]

23 hours ago, unJon said:

If you loved Anathema but only liked Snow Crash, I recommend you try Cryptomicron and (if you are up for the challenge) his Baroque Cycle. But definitely Cryptomicron. 

I enjoyed both the Baroque Cycle and Crytomicrom.   Anathema is the best, really enjoyed that one. 

[HexMachina]

5 hours ago, Paxter said:

All done with Uprooted. This mostly lived up to the hype for mine: a straightforward but interesting plot, great cast of characters and a fantastic ending. I think Novik tried to riff off Eco/The Name of the Rose in the middle with an attempt at castle intrigue. That section didn’t work for me at all and things certainly got a lot better when the plot returned to The Wood. But overall I enjoyed this one a lot.

Now on to Exit West.

I think you would enjoy Spinning Silver by Novik. Has the same kind of charm with  compelling characters and interesting setting, but the Court side of things feels better thought out.

(Not sure if it's clear from my post but it's not a sequel or set in the same world, don't want to mislead anyone)

[Paxter]

16 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

I think you would enjoy Spinning Silver by Novik. Has the same kind of charm with  compelling characters and interesting setting, but the Court side of things feels better thought out.

(Not sure if it's clear from my post but it's not a sequel or set in the same world, don't want to mislead anyone)

Yeah I will check that one out at some point, though I may try to brush up on my knowledge of Polish mythology first. I think I was missing out on a lot of Novik’s allusion in Uprooted.

Seems to be a lot of love for Tchaikovsky in here lately...I’m reluctant to check any of his stuff out as I’ve been turned off serialised epic fantasy. But I do suffer from terrible, stultifying FOMO...

[polishgenius]

4 hours ago, Paxter said:

I think I was missing out on a lot of Novik’s allusion in Uprooted. 

Nah, there wasn't much to miss, and tbh, despite really really really loving Uprooted, of what there was present I felt the take on Polish mythology was slightly miss-aimed. Like how in the book the legendary founder king of Polnya fought a dragon and got its tooth stuck in his breastplate whereas the actual Polish legend has the dragon being defeated (by either the king's sons or the king himself when he was still a cobbler in some versions) by tricking it into eating a cow filled with sulfur that made it burn and drink so much water it exploded. Just a whole different feel to that myth.

Also (although it didn't figure into the book itself iirc) she translated 'Agnieszka skrawek nieba' as 'Agnieszka piece of sky' when it should have been 'patch of sky' or 'scrap of sky'.

At least she got right that Baba Jaga isn't necessarily evil, as she's often presented in Western versions of Slavic myth.

[williamjm]

5 hours ago, Paxter said:

Seems to be a lot of love for Tchaikovsky in here lately...I’m reluctant to check any of his stuff out as I’ve been turned off serialised epic fantasy. Bit I do suffer from terrible, stultifying FOMO...

He does have standalones, of which I've read a couple, if you don't want to start his 10-volume series or his other fantasy trilogy. His arachnid-themed Space Opera Children of Time seems to have got the most attention of any of his books, I also really liked his mixture of Regency Romance and the Vietnam War with occasional wizards in Guns of the Dawn.

9 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

I think you would enjoy Spinning Silver by Novik. Has the same kind of charm with  compelling characters and interesting setting, but the Court side of things feels better thought out.

I did really enjoy Uprooted so I'll have to pick this up soon.

[Starkess]

Finished Underground Airlines, which was very good. A tense thriller-type novel with a fair bit of action, and while I think the premise is kind of ridiculous, it is an interesting thought experiment.

[unJon]

Just finished The Rules of Magic. I did not know it was a prequel book until I finished. I liked the book, though thought the it didn’t build to a climax in the way I expected. Which makes perfect sense now that I know it’s a prequel. Sigh. I hate reading related books out of publication order. I suppose I will now read Practical Magic and hope that I haven’t gotten too spoiled. 

[Maia]

On 8/11/2018 at 11:43 PM, polishgenius said:

If you haven't, you should have a read of Becky Chambers' A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, plus sequels (third one's just out actually, must get on that). She's very good at this.

I was luke-warm towards "A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" because it seemed a pretty unoriginal take on the "Firefly"-like theme  with  all the familiar elements from countless space operas touching on people coming together to form a team. I liked the sequel "A Close and Common Orbit" very much, though, and am looking forward to her newest book.

On 8/11/2018 at 11:43 PM, polishgenius said:

Also Karen Lord's The Best of All Possible Worlds.

This one was a bunch of romance tropes packed covered with SF veneer, I thought. And ultimately left me rather cold, after the initial excitement. Not to mention that the Sadiri are basically Vulcans.

On 8/13/2018 at 7:26 PM, williamjm said:

I've just started Andy Weir's Artemis.

Is it just me, or was this particularly implausible, given Weir's focus on technological believability, with one or 2 exceptions to make plot possible? Sociological aspects were never his strong suit, but they, too make very little sense, IMHO. And his writing can't make up for it either. Oh, well. Though, to be honest, while I liked "The Martian", I wasn't blown away either, so mine may be a minority view. I have also seen the movie first and enjoyed it.

Concerning Tchaikovsky's "Echoes of the Fall" and "Shadows of the Apt":
 

Spoiler

 

It is unmistakeably stated that not just the Owl, the Bat and the Serpent, but every tribe has what would be called magicians and seers by the kinden - their priests and "wise". They have seen scraps of the future which allowed them to figure out the threat somewhat in advance, and they have performed what would have been considered magical rituals, first by summoning the storm for Loud Thunder's attack on the coast camp of the invaders, then by providing power for what Hespric and Manye eventually accomplished. The Lion-priest ritual of spreading champions' strength also seems along these and lines. Nevertheless, there is no indication that these priestly individuals were immune to the Terror.

It is also unclear why Aptitude would have helped the Beetles to figure out Stepping, when disbelief affects it in a way similar to it's effect on magic and the "true people" don't need any particular analytical understanding to learn it, it comes instinctively to them.

I  suspect that the "true people" aren't subject to the whole Apt - Inapt divide, or shouldn't be. They don't have the many advantages that the kinden get from their connection to beings so unlike them, but they also seem less constrained by their heredity. Belonging to a kinden determines one's character and appearances to a far greater degree than belonging to one of the "true people's" tribe seems to, and of course the latter can, in some cases, change their allegiance and "soul".

It also occurs to me that the Oldest Kingdom falling in disrepair may have been due to reasons other than the usual infighting and prolongued existential crisis among the Spiders - maybe the upkeep of some parts of it required Aptitude, and they didn't want the Jaguar to do something that they couldn't understand. Or, maybe the Jaguar just didn't have the requisite knowledge. The Serpent, who had been the architects of it, were focussed on both kinds of skills and didn't distinguish between them.

Finally, I wonder if Commonweal - Lowlands divide, the world drying out, some of the obstacles in the ocean protecting the western continent, like abnormally intelligent cetaceans hostile to the kinden and storms, etc. aren't connected to the legend of the Three Brothers and some massive magical working undertaken by the desperate "true people" in order to escape. Or did they just take advantage of an unrelated cataclysm? Though ocean protections seem too deliberate and comprehensive to be accidental. Too bad that techonology passed them by...

 

 

Anyway, on to some other stuff that I have read recently:

"Interworld" by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves - a fairly standard YA about a boy finding out that he has supernatural powers, being recruited for a magical school/bootcamp and eventually fighting to preserve balance between magic and technology on the myriad of parallel worlds, but with an oddly solipsistic twist. Apparently, this was initially intended to be a movie or TV project - not sure how it could have ever worked as such. It was OK.

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Loved it. Wonderful characters, humor, very well written and, of course illuminating a very important and pertinent theme. The ending felt slightly weak for some reason, but on the whole I'd say that the book's popularity was entirely deserved.

"Go set a Watchman" by Harper Lee. I was dubious when I first heard about this being published and the events surrounding it, but I am glad of it now. It is a very uneven book, unsurprisingly, but with definite moments of brilliance, taking a  nuanced look at the problems of the US South in the 50-ies and the mostly white, privileged people struggling with them, while also diving into parents - children relationships and conflicts. It is a great pity that Lee abandoned it rather than polishing it or even re-working it into something independant of "To Kill A Mockingbird", IMHO. I kinda understand why, but still.  Complemented the book above in unintended, but very satisfying ways.

 

[williamjm]

On 8/15/2018 at 10:37 AM, Maia said:

Is it just me, or was this particularly implausible, given Weir's focus on technological believability, with one or 2 exceptions to make plot possible? Sociological aspects were never his strong suit, but they, too make very little sense, IMHO. And his writing can't make up for it either. Oh, well. Though, to be honest, while I liked "The Martian", I wasn't blown away either, so mine may be a minority view. I have also seen the movie first and enjoyed it.

I've just finished Artemis, and I think I would agree with you that some of the implausibility gets a bit much. On the plus side, I found it reasonably entertaining to read and it moved at a decent pace. In terms of the descriptions of the technology of the first lunar city I thought it seemed fine, but it was a bit distracting that despite being nominally a Kenyan colony and populated by an international workforce everyone seems to talk like they're in an American TV show and despite being decades in the future it was filled with contemporary pop culture references. It's slightly unfair to compare it to Ian McDonald's Luna series since that's about a much more established Lunar culture, but I felt McDonald put in a lot of effort designing his lunar society whereas Weir doesn't seem to have put in any effort at all. I also wasn't impressed with the writing of the protagonist, Jazz Bashara may be a Saudi woman in her mid 20s but her internal narration sounds more like an American teenage boy.

I mostly thought the plot was OK, but I think it fell apart at the end, in particular there were two points I struggled with where it felt like it went a bit too far to give the book a happy ending.

I'm not claiming to have any particular knowledge here, but it feels to me that if an average human would die after an hours exposure to chloroform (as the book states) then children or the elderly or infirm would be likely to die significantly sooner, so the lack of any casualties didn't seem believable.

Also the way that Jazz walks away without any consequences beyond losing most of her money seemed unbelievable. I also don't find it convincing that people are apparently only mildly annoyed about someone deliberately destroying their oxygen supply and then accidentally poisoning them. That feels like the sort of thing that would get someone summarily pushed out an airlock without an EVA suit.

[aceluby]

About 1/4 through Eye Of The World and am enjoying it much more than the first time I tried going through it.  May finally find out what all the hub bub is about with this Wheel of Time series.

[Errant Bard]

I just went through Nicholas Eames' Kings of the Wyld.

It was fun, not taking itself seriously, and packed to the brim with musical and fantasy references (I mean, there's one minor character called Barrett, who seems to come from ff7, but then he has a son called syd, then there's a Sabaatha (Scott Lynch is mentioned as a huge influence), then there's moments like that time a character says he taught his daughter to stick them with the pointy end then concludes "just so"...)

Anyway, it reads fast, it was funny, with sweet moments and even some touching ones. You never really feel the characters are in danger, but that's not the point, the point is more like the ones of the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy or Soul Music, though it's more story focused than the first and less reference heavy and less profound than the second.
The characters are likeable and diverse, the world is actually quite intriguing and the story is quite fast paced and coherent, so... light, but entertaining, and some characters stay with me, oddly, so I rank it up there, and will certainly get the next novel set in this universe. A good surprise for a side/diversion read.