[Andorion]

polishgenius, on 19 June 2017 - 04:17 PM, said:

Abyss, on 19 June 2017 - 03:33 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 19 June 2017 - 03:26 PM, said:

...
I've cottoned on to what Yoon Ha Lee's series reminds me of. If you took the weirder parts of Faith by John Love and built an entire interstellar empire on those principles, Machineries of Empire is a lot what it would look like....

SOLD.


...related aside, still annoyed at what a mess Love's second book Evensong was....

Ha, I thought you might like that description.

Lee does dump you into a chaotic and extremely weird world with very few explanations, but I can't imagine a Malazan fan will be bothered by that. I don't think it's as obtuse as, say, Quantum Thief's world, if only because while the means and motivations behind doing certain things are obscure, the actual things themselves are a bit more straightforward (to whit: space battles! Also: ground battles!).

I appreciated Evensong as a flawed-but-worthy attempt to do a twist on the cyberpunky-noir-agent thing but looking back it did meander and the very ending was unsatisfying (although the climactic bit just before that very ending was fine).

Andorion, on 19 June 2017 - 03:51 PM, said:

I loved Tchaikovsky's ending more in the sense that he went in a very unconventional way I absolutely did not expect. Vinge focussed more on the weirdness of the planet and the strange behaviours it encouraged, but Tchaikovsky went deeper into biology and social psychology and his long term approach really elevated the book.

If you haven't read it, I urge you to read Helliconia. It's not quite the same because (1) it's centered on humans, on a very alien world (orbiting a binary star, leading to century-long seasons, the central principle behind it) and (2) it's not tracking the evolution of anything from the start, but it has a similar epically long-term structure and deep focus on scientific exploration of what life in a place like that would mean.

I've been meandering through a re-read actually, mostly because I never quite finished the third book (it's a monster as a complete cycle, and I didn't take enough breaks, so I sorta burned out). Good stuff.

Sounds very interesting. Century long seasons remind me of Westeros. Is it a big series?

[polishgenius]

Andorion, on 19 June 2017 - 04:29 PM, said:

Sounds very interesting. Century long seasons remind me of Westeros. Is it a big series?

Not especially. Three books (Spring, Summer, and Winter), and you can generally get it collected in one volume these days (it is a big volume, mind).

[Chance]

Finishing up Children of Time and I liked it alot up to the final conflict. Still got a couple of chapters left but the spider tech in the end is just too far out there, the ideas are nice and it is a very nice alternative technology development but it makes very little sense closer to the end.

Spoiler

Much like his previous offerings hes going more with an idea of technology then with simple sense. Anyone who can build a space elevator from silk strands can most certainly get explosives and alcohols for fuel going, fossil fuels or no fossil fuels and the AI could easily tell them how and there is a reason we are using those efficiency is rediculously poor for living things compared to combustion. Thats without going into computing... Still very much enjoying the journey, never had much sympathy for anything spiderish previously.

This post has been edited by Chance: 20 June 2017 - 12:23 AM

[QuickTidal]

Well, I stalled out on CHILDREN OF TIME (I strongly dislike animal/insect non-vocal POV). It seems like that may evolve later, but for the time being it was distracting. It's like when an author puts you in the head of a dog or something. No thanks.

Started into Graham Mcneill's FULGRIM to continue my Horus Heresy journey.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 20 June 2017 - 03:57 PM, said:

Insects? Is that connection to his Apt world?

I'm not sure. It seems to be a disconnected standalone sci-fi...so I don't think so?

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 20 June 2017 - 04:06 PM, said:

Did you ever read that one I can't remember if you joined Ment, Ando and me in the series?

Huh? Which one?

[End of Disc One]

I think he's talking about Shadows of the Apt and no, Children of Time does not take place in the same world.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 20 June 2017 - 12:18 PM, said:

Well, I stalled out on CHILDREN OF TIME (I strongly dislike animal/insect non-vocal POV). It seems like that may evolve later, but for the time being it was distracting. It's like when an author puts you in the head of a dog or something. No thanks.

Started into Graham Mcneill's FULGRIM to continue my Horus Heresy journey.

Aww thats a shame. The insect PoVs were what made the book for me. And BTW yeah they so change in tone. Tchaikovsky is tracing social evolution and change through them.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 20 June 2017 - 04:06 PM, said:

Did you ever read that one I can't remember if you joined Ment, Ando and me in the series?

End of Disc One, on 20 June 2017 - 05:28 PM, said:

I think he's talking about Shadows of the Apt and no, Children of Time does not take place in the same world.

Different world Bk.

But Tchaikovsky has a thing for bugs. After the insect Kinden in Apt, we get sentient insects in Children of Time and Spider PoV in Spiderlight (which also is awesome)

I have yet to read his Guns of the Dawn, or his Echoes of the Fall series, but I saw somewhere the tribal totems of the Fall series reminded them of the Apt.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 20 June 2017 - 06:02 PM, said:

QT should read Apt. Fun.

I've read the whole first arc (up to SALUTE THE DARK), and enjoyed most of it. Have yet to bust into the second arc (starting with SCARABS PATH I think?). Will do though, as I quite enjoyed the first 4 books.

[worry]

Something's bugging me about this whole line of conversation.

Spoiler

[Macros]

Andorion, on 20 June 2017 - 05:36 PM, said:

Briar King, on 20 June 2017 - 04:06 PM, said:

Did you ever read that one I can't remember if you joined Ment, Ando and me in the series?

End of Disc One, on 20 June 2017 - 05:28 PM, said:

I think he's talking about Shadows of the Apt and no, Children of Time does not take place in the same world.

Different world Bk.

But Tchaikovsky has a thing for bugs. After the insect Kinden in Apt, we get sentient insects in Children of Time and Spider PoV in Spiderlight (which also is awesome)

I have yet to read his Guns of the Dawn, or his Echoes of the Fall series, but I saw somewhere the tribal totems of the Fall series reminded them of the Apt.

think it was me said this regarding goD

enjoyed Guns of Dawn, but I really got the vibe off the enemy that they were Ant-Kinden and the main characters people were of a non apt kinden

[acesn8s]

Finished Swords Against Death, a nice collection of interrelated short stories. I'll have to pick up the other books at some point. Time to jump into The Judging Eye. My goal for the summer is to finish The Aspect Emperor series.

[Andorion]

acesn8s, on 21 June 2017 - 12:15 PM, said:

Finished Swords Against Death, a nice collection of interrelated short stories. I'll have to pick up the other books at some point. Time to jump into The Judging Eye. My goal for the summer is to finish The Aspect Emperor series.

Reading The Judging Eye myself. 190 pages in. So far its pretty great.

42% into Grass Crown - Masters of Rome 2. Very very good, but the first one was better.

Also finished The Last Wish. Absolutely excellent.

[Chance]

Finished up Children of Time which was really good for a while and the last era/chapter whatever of the book was not very good at all. Still not a bad book but nothing can really save a poor last part.

Also finished up The Kill Society at work and the Sandman Slim series is just such great irreverent fun that it is impossible not to laugh at it occationally.

This post has been edited by Chance: 21 June 2017 - 03:44 PM

[Mentalist]

Finished "Royal Assassin". That got dark fast.


Need to pick a new commute book. I think I'll try "Traitor's Blade".

My re-read of "Godsdoom" stalled terribly, because reading on my phone is annoying. Also, because outdoor season is in full swing and i'm spending far less time at home.


Edit: having written this, I resolved to finish it. So did a commute + home read for 2 days, and finished the re-read on Friday.

Doubt I'll be able to pull off the same trick with The Land Without Joy ,though.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 26 June 2017 - 03:51 PM

[QuickTidal]

AH! THE WITCHWOOD CROWN by Tad Williams was out at my store a week early! I'm starting that bad boy tonight!

EDIT: Rounded page 35 this morning. It's good. Great to see old characters again, and really fun to be introduced to new characters!

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 23 June 2017 - 12:08 PM

[Andorion]

Finished Grass Crown, onto Fortune's Favourites.

[Macros]

I'm always amazed at how well you can differentiate between differvent books and sections in a series like that, the entire narrative for me just rolls into one.

Gun to my head I would really struggle to tell you what happened in each book. Did you read them all in order one after the other or take breaks between books?

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 24 June 2017 - 03:50 AM, said:

Andorion, on 24 June 2017 - 03:08 AM, said:

Finished Grass Crown, onto Fortune's Favourites.

Loved this one so much! No spoilers but there is an 80 pg section in this one that I was in utter joy of and it is also the start of the books where my knowledge kicked in. From then to the end of 7 I knew most of.

Briar King, on 24 June 2017 - 03:58 AM, said:

Also if you want to see just how awesome she is with her knowledge this is a good time to google Marius a bit. Obviously don't click on anyone else.

Yeah, I kind of know some of Caesar, I am definitely going to get a nice fat history of Rome out once this series is done.

Briar King, on 24 June 2017 - 03:56 PM, said:

1-7 straight through and no other distractions like I have been doing this yr by reading 3 different series a day.

Its the only way. The books are too addictive. I am already some way into book 3.

Also this series has rekindled my interest in gaming. I have restarted Rome Total War after several months.