RedEyedGhost Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Finished CB tonight and really enjoyed it. Another stellar entry in the series. I really like the unique characters they keep introducing like Murtry. The constant interplay of themes in each book where the villain may even be right, from a certain point of view. I'm also a big fan of the mostly self contained narrative structure of each book so far. I finished it Wednesday afternoon, and really enjoyed it too. But damn, did all of the eye stuff annoy me :tantrum: More thoughts after I've let it process a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairBearHero Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I finished it Wednesday afternoon, and really enjoyed it too. But damn, did all of the eye stuff annoy me :tantrum: More thoughts after I've let it process a little. I really liked the idea. It felt like an extremely realistic assessment of the dangers of exploring alien planets - you don't need Avatar-esque super-predators, just something whose biology is fundamentally incompatible with our own. Ditto the slugs. What did you dislike about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I also thought the eye bug was interesting, although it was telegraphed very early in the book that Holden's medicine would have a role to play there.I wonder if Miller/The Investigator really is dead this time, or if he can still manifest in other areas where a node is present? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I really liked the idea. It felt like an extremely realistic assessment of the dangers of exploring alien planets - you don't need Avatar-esque super-predators, just something whose biology is fundamentally incompatible with our own. Ditto the slugs. What did you dislike about it?I don't disagree with what you're saying. It was a very interesting take on the danger involved. My problem with it was - short answer - the biology of the eye was completely wrong.Long answer - the organism got into the eye via the tear ducts?? Umm, no. Neither the tear production system or the tear drainage system will allow transmission into the eye itself. The only mechanism by which something may enter the eye through the surface is through severe injury or at the molecular level as oxygen can permeate the cornea as can a slight amount of water through a pumping action of the endothelial layer of the cornea used to maintain the cornea's clarity. Anything larger will not be able to enter the globe without that severe injury or through the blood vessels that circulate through the muscle that focuses the eye and produces the aqueous humour. IF the organism were somehow small enough to penetrate the cornea as water is being pumped through it, the organism would arrive in the aqueous humour (still quite some distance away from the vitreous humour where it was said to have taken up residence). The aqueous has currents throughout it will would carry the organisms to the internal drainage system of the eye (the trabecular meshwork into Schlemm's canal directly into the bloodstream). It is possible that it could get into the vitreous (if we assume that it could actually get into the globe), but it would then also be in the bloodstream, and if it's eating the salt in our eyes, then ...Having the organism bind to the fibers in the cornea and getting denser and denser to the point of becoming opaque would have been a much better mechanism for the blindness. That would also be better for why the medication actually works, because that medication is not getting to the vitreous without being directly injected to it. Speaking of the medication are we to assume that Lucia is such a poor doctor that she did not acquire an accurate medical history for Holden (pretty important as he was the only one immune)? Maybe he didn't let her because he was too busy, but I'm sure she could have done that while walking around with him. And the blood and tissue sample sent to Luna showed no trace of the medication that he's been taking consistently for years? Are they too incompetent on the moon to notice this? I know it was setup to make Elvi the hero, but come on. And there was somebody reading a terminal that they had adjusted to see better, well that color combination and the green filter in the eye would have just produced black on black.I feel like a computer nerd complaining about technobabble about hacking in movies, but it did take me out of the story quite frequently.I also thought the eye bug was interesting, although it was telegraphed very early in the book that Holden's medicine would have a role to play there.I wonder if Miller/The Investigator really is dead this time, or if he can still manifest in other areas where a node is present? I'm sure Miller is still around, he just doesn't have easy access to Holden's brain any longer.I'm very excited about more Avasalara and Bobbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Kilimaro Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I also thought the eye bug was interesting, although it was telegraphed very early in the book that Holden's medicine would have a role to play there.I wonder if Miller/The Investigator really is dead this time, or if he can still manifest in other areas where a node is present? More Cibola Burn spoilers I was hoping that would be the end of Miller because I feel like that will remove the temptation of that kind of deus ex machina resolution to things. On the other hand it does seem like a necessary thing to have some info dumps on us as we continue to learn more of what is beyond the gate. I really liked CB, but like REG, am really looking forward to seeing more of Bobbie and Avasarala. The epilogue was really great - it made the book a self-contained story and yet there were consequences towards the larger universe as well. You could tell they really thought it out and that's awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 CB Did anybody else's heart skip a beat when it was mentioned that there were libraries being destroyed as the network was being taken down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 More Cibola Burn spoilers I was hoping that would be the end of Miller because I feel like that will remove the temptation of that kind of deus ex machina resolution to things. On the other hand it does seem like a necessary thing to have some info dumps on us as we continue to learn more of what is beyond the gate. I really liked CB, but like REG, am really looking forward to seeing more of Bobbie and Avasarala. The epilogue was really great - it made the book a self-contained story and yet there were consequences towards the larger universe as well. You could tell they really thought it out and that's awesome. Agreed, on both counts. The Miller-bug/robot going out that way would have been a good end to the character, however with no other obvious source of information on the protomolecule developers out there it would seem that The Thing Called Miller isn't quite done yet. Its never been quite clear just "where" Miller is stored, but it was clear that Miller had died several times touching the "Eye of an Angry God" so I would presume that he'll be back again wearing the body of some other construct. I had hoped after Caliban's War that Bobbie would join the crew of the Roci. So I'll look forward to seeing her back in action. CB Did anybody else's heart skip a beat when it was mentioned that there were libraries being destroyed as the network was being taken down? All that information, billions of years old. I'm interested to see what other kinds of planets the PM developers had worked out and what condition they are in. I don't disagree with what you're saying. It was a very interesting take on the danger involved. My problem with it was - short answer - the biology of the eye was completely wrong. Long answer - the organism got into the eye via the tear ducts?? Umm, no. Neither the tear production system or the tear drainage system will allow transmission into the eye itself. The only mechanism by which something may enter the eye through the surface is through severe injury or at the molecular level as oxygen can permeate the cornea as can a slight amount of water through a pumping action of the endothelial layer of the cornea used to maintain the cornea's clarity. Anything larger will not be able to enter the globe without that severe injury or through the blood vessels that circulate through the muscle that focuses the eye and produces the aqueous humour. IF the organism were somehow small enough to penetrate the cornea as water is being pumped through it, the organism would arrive in the aqueous humour (still quite some distance away from the vitreous humour where it was said to have taken up residence). The aqueous has currents throughout it will would carry the organisms to the internal drainage system of the eye (the trabecular meshwork into Schlemm's canal directly into the bloodstream). It is possible that it could get into the vitreous (if we assume that it could actually get into the globe), but it would then also be in the bloodstream, and if it's eating the salt in our eyes, then ... Having the organism bind to the fibers in the cornea and getting denser and denser to the point of becoming opaque would have been a much better mechanism for the blindness. That would also be better for why the medication actually works, because that medication is not getting to the vitreous without being directly injected to it. Speaking of the medication are we to assume that Lucia is such a poor doctor that she did not acquire an accurate medical history for Holden (pretty important as he was the only one immune)? Maybe he didn't let her because he was too busy, but I'm sure she could have done that while walking around with him. And the blood and tissue sample sent to Luna showed no trace of the medication that he's been taking consistently for years? Are they too incompetent on the moon to notice this? I know it was setup to make Elvi the hero, but come on. And there was somebody reading a terminal that they had adjusted to see better, well that color combination and the green filter in the eye would have just produced black on black. I feel like a computer nerd complaining about technobabble about hacking in movies, but it did take me out of the story quite frequently. In the Expanse Universe, they try to stick to actual physics as much as possible, but will break things in cases where the general public won't notice - this is their "smell test" or "wikipedia test." Where LW was a noir mystery novel in a sci-fi setting, and CW was a political thriller, and AG was a ghost story, CB is their take on a western. The fifth book is tentatively titled Nemesis ...., shit, I can't believe I forgot the second word. In the book everybody gets what coming to them, and they've been looking forward to writing that one "for the past 3 or 4 books." When they have enough material in the short stories and novellas they will put them out as a collection. Perhaps they should have applied their "keep it vague" rule in place for biology too. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairBearHero Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I don't disagree with what you're saying. It was a very interesting take on the danger involved. My problem with it was - short answer - the biology of the eye was completely wrong. Fair enough - not being a biologist it seemed plausible enough so didn't really bother me, but I understand where you're coming from! I'll join the chorus of eager anticipation for Bobbie and Avasarala's re-appearance. They were what elevated Caliban to the top spot for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowDogJen Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I saw a blurb in the local fishwrap today about the SyFy series, The Expanse: "In "The Expanse," [Thomas] Jane will play Detective Miller, a native of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter two centuries in the future. He's put in charge of the investigation into a missing heiress. This 10-episode series, billed as a "space opera," is based on the best-selling book series by James S.A. Covey. It will premiere on Syfy in 2015. Great to know they're moving forward with the series! I wish Daniel (and Ty!) all the success in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Has there been any word on whether the first season will cover the first book? Or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maltaran Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 There is a separate thread in Entertainment covering all the series news http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/96330-the-expanse-optioned-for-television-series/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperry Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Is the 4th Dagger and Coin book still scheduled to release in August? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Walker Texas Ranger Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I just read the Gods of Risk and thought it was a nice, entertaining side story with a realistic genius teenager main character. I do have a couple of questions about Martian society though. Is it a command economy? It seems to have elements of that since my impression was that everybody placed into some career path at age 16. They need everybody for the terraforming project, but what do they do with all the people who aren't smart enough to be doctors, engineers and scientists? They obviously need people for the military and police, but it seems like there's enough automation that they need that many manual laborers. Given that a small navy ship has a medical bay that can essentially 3d print almost any drug and nobody considers it remarkable, why do drug lords need expert chemists to synthesize drugs for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Is the 4th Dagger and Coin book still scheduled to release in August? As far as I know, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Is the 4th Dagger and Coin book still scheduled to release in August? I know of at least 2 reviewers who have received a copy so I would think it's on schedule, but on Amazon it's not available for pre-order... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I know of at least 2 reviewers who have received a copy so I would think it's on schedule, but on Amazon it's not available for pre-order... That's due to the amazon/hachette clusterfuck still going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 That's due to the amazon/hachette clusterfuck still going on. I wasn't even aware of this. Damn. I just read a bit about said clusterfuck, and who knows if the book will even be available by August 5, or if it will ship within 2 days with Amazon Prime. I wonder if I should try going to my local B&N on release day (who knows if they will even have it) or order from B&N's website... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 So far they have the releases up for sale on release day, but you cant order them til then, so if you use prime tou get it two days after release. And I don't know what your local B&N is like but so far they have always gotten in D&C books on release day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underfoot Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Some bookstores will order copies of a new book if you call them in advance and ask them to reserve you a copy, so you could try doing that at B&N, if you're worried they might not have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt b Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 And I don't know what your local B&N is like but so far they have always gotten in D&C books on release day. My experience has been the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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