[QuickTidal]

Shiara, on 22 August 2012 - 04:01 AM, said:

I plan to squeesh them with my massive heretic bulk.

Bah, we've seen you, you have no bulk, you're skinny.

Our lab mice will devour you!

Mwaahahaaaa!

[Abyss]

There are rats in WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, so the above discussion is entirely on topic in case anyone was wondering.

And cheese too!

[Shiara]

QuickTidal, on 22 August 2012 - 01:07 PM, said:

Shiara, on 22 August 2012 - 04:01 AM, said:

I plan to squeesh them with my massive heretic bulk.

Bah, we've seen you, you have no bulk, you're skinny.

Our lab mice will devour you!

Mwaahahaaaa!

Not if I devour them first! Muahahahaha!!

Totally on topic

[kcf]

Abyss, on 07 August 2012 - 02:32 PM, said:

Also, it's perhaps a frivolous complaint, but the publisher does this book an utter disservice by describing a supposed main plot point on the back cover blurb that does not, in any way whatsoever, resemble anything that happens in the story. If you're reading this book expecting a born-again christian FBI agent who considers all magic the work of the devil, don't - it doesn't happen. At all. There is an FBI agent, and she's actually a fun character, but forget about the religious stuff. Not Aaronovitch's fault at all (i assume), but an annoyance even so.

this bothered me quite a bit. I like the way it's handled in the book much better than what's implied in blurb. But the blurb majory mis-represents the content of the book.

[Abyss]

kcf, on 29 August 2012 - 09:33 PM, said:

Abyss, on 07 August 2012 - 02:32 PM, said:

Also, it's perhaps a frivolous complaint, but the publisher does this book an utter disservice by describing a supposed main plot point on the back cover blurb that does not, in any way whatsoever, resemble anything that happens in the story. If you're reading this book expecting a born-again christian FBI agent who considers all magic the work of the devil, don't - it doesn't happen. At all. There is an FBI agent, and she's actually a fun character, but forget about the religious stuff. Not Aaronovitch's fault at all (i assume), but an annoyance even so.

this bothered me quite a bit. I like the way it's handled in the book much better than what's implied in blurb. But the blurb majory mis-represents the content of the book.

I don't think i have ever seen one as bad.

[Salt-Man Z]

There was one book, I think it was part of the latest Star Wars sequence, whose back blurb spoiled a major event that occurred within that very book; it was like they accidentally copied the blurb text over from the next book in the series.

[polishgenius]

So I got Whispers Underground and was greatly enjoying it, much more than the previous two, and got about two-thirds in... and then left it somewhere that wasn't home.

If it was at the German course I study I may still get it back.

[Pig Iron]

Read all three with great enjoyment thanks (yet again) to this forum. Third was weaker for all the reasons stated above, but the first two were fantastic. I liked the contrast with Dresden, and the English setting was fun. Had to look up words mostly relating to food. Seriously, do you eat stuff like kedgeree and brawn or is that just included for the nice nausea effect?

[worry]

I finished Midnight Riot. I'd give it a solid 3 out of 5. Nice characters, charming plot/mystery, lots of goofy English slang. I think my main issue with it is that it is sooo plot-focused, it shows very little of the characters' downtime (occasionally it will seem to be doing this, only to head directly to another plot point, like the movie theater scene). So while it was strong on the "show don't tell" for the plot and supernatural elements, a lot of the relationship establishment moments were neglected or just summed up verbally by Peter. In a related complaint, the time frame is a bit choppy...and I say related because these gaps were the opportunity to inject some of these character moments into the book. For instance, there's a moment near the end when Beverly says of another character "I thought we were friends", but in no particular way was that friendship established. There's no contradiction, but no meat to it either, it's just retroactively true.

[Use Of Weapons]

Finished _Whispers Underground_ and thought I'd mosey on over here to see what you guys are saying about this series. IMO, it's a distinct fifth place in the urban fantasy genre, behind Butcher, Griffin, Carey, and Michelle West's Elantra series (which is still urban magic, just secondary world urban).

I do enjoy the series, but not for the main plots. The larger arc is far more interesting than any of the main plots of the individual novels. The Faceless Man, Lesley's face, Peter's growing familiarity with magic and his investigations into modifying the formae, the subplots with Beverley Brook and Lady Ty -- all much more interesting than svartalf navvies, jazz vampires, Mister Punch killers et al. I guess the police procedural aspect just doesn't grab as much as Dresden's PI framework. The prose is workmanlike, rising occasionally above the mediocre but not often enough. And the call-outs to genre and geek culture aren't done as smoothly as Butcher's, and often pull me out of the narrative.

Having said all that, it's a series I'll stick with to see where it goes.

[Werthead]

The Rivers of London series has been optioned for TV.

[Abyss]

Huh.

I can't decide whether to react with principle-based joy or experience-based scepticism.

It's sort of like my reaction to HBO working on Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS... neat idea at a base level, but in execution, well, the DRESDEN FILES tv show pretty much says all there is to say.

[stone monkey]

I guess we'll know for sure when we see the casting. If they decide to whitewash Peter Grant then something will be truly amiss...

[Abyss]

stone monkey, on 24 June 2013 - 06:52 PM, said:

I guess we'll know for sure when we see the casting. If they decide to whitewash Peter Grant then something will be truly amiss...

Ooooooo... good point.

His ethnicity is somewhat integral to the character, but easily excised if they're not following the books too closely.

For that matter, all of the titular River avatars are black, and one of his fellow officers is a female Muslim who wears a hijab...

[polishgenius]

To be fair, British telly doesn't exactly have a history of whitewashing or that sort of thing.

Quote

It's sort of like my reaction to HBO working on Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS... neat idea at a base level, but in execution, well, the DRESDEN FILES tv show pretty much says all there is to say.

Be fair, there's a world of difference between HBO and the Sci-Fi channel. I think one can have reasonable expectations that American Gods will be at worst pretty good. And it will change stuff, it has to, but Neil Gaiman is all-the-way involved in doing so.

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 24 June 2013 - 07:25 PM, said:

To be fair, British telly doesn't exactly have a history of whitewashing or that sort of thing.

True. And it's not like the books have such a wide audience as it stands now that they need to do silly things to appeal to a misperceived wider audience. It can stand/fall on its own strength.

Quote

Quote

It's sort of like my reaction to HBO working on Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS... neat idea at a base level, but in execution, well, the DRESDEN FILES tv show pretty much says all there is to say.

Be fair, there's a world of difference between HBO and the Sci-Fi channel. I think one can have reasonable expectations that American Gods will be at worst pretty good. And it will change stuff, it has to, but Neil Gaiman is all-the-way involved in doing so.

You make an excellent point re HBO vs Syfy. The existance of OUAT on network suggests there is a market for these sort of shows, and the success of GoT means the genre audience is watching cable.

[Pig Iron]

If you like Rivers of London you have to read Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus novels. Like both but Jacka wins; like a cross between Dresden and Castor - the whole get beat up alot, win by attitude, smarts and creative use of magic. Thread is here:

http://forum.malazan...benedict-jacka/

[polishgenius]

Pig Iron, on 06 July 2013 - 05:37 PM, said:

If you like Rivers of London you have to read Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus novels. Like both but Jacka wins; like a cross between Dresden and Castor - the whole get beat up alot, win by attitude, smarts and creative use of magic. Thread is here:

http://forum.malazan...benedict-jacka/

This plus Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels but the queen of London-set Urban Fantasy, an oddly enormous sub-sub-genre (though maybe not that odd coz London is uniquely suited to that sort of thing, especially among Western cities)is still Kate Griffin. I just read her latest book, The Glass God, and as usual, it's double awesome.

[Pig Iron]

polishgenius, on 06 July 2013 - 05:51 PM, said:

Pig Iron, on 06 July 2013 - 05:37 PM, said:

If you like Rivers of London you have to read Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus novels. Like both but Jacka wins; like a cross between Dresden and Castor - the whole get beat up alot, win by attitude, smarts and creative use of magic. Thread is here:

http://forum.malazan...benedict-jacka/

This plus Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels but the queen of London-set Urban Fantasy, an oddly enormous sub-sub-genre (though maybe not that odd coz London is uniquely suited to that sort of thing, especially among Western cities)is still Kate Griffin. I just read her latest book, The Glass God, and as usual, it's double awesome.

Ok nice, will order Griffin immediately. Wish Carey would write another Castor.

[polishgenius]

Two things to bear in mind on that recommendation: one is that, for a lot of people (I didn't mind myself but I've seen it a few times) it starts quite slow - Griffin's language is quite ornamental, a bit Mieville-like, and a lot of people seem to have felt she went OTT in the first few pages of the first book. Most seem to agree that this improves.

The other is that, unlike every other fantasy I've ever read, London or otherwise, where the host city is a touch homogenised for the international audience, Griffin absolutely immerses you in London, to the point where reading the book if you know the city will be a very different experience to if you don't. Not necessarily worse, but I can imagine it being something along the lines of (Mieville comparison again) reading about New Crobuzon if you haven't lived in or near the city.


She has to, though, for the way she writes magic to work. And I really do love it.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 06 July 2013 - 06:41 PM