[polishgenius]

End of Disc One, on 30 May 2018 - 09:00 PM, said:

Are divisive endings common for China Mieville?

Pretty much par for the course with him, yeah.

[amphibian]

Zetubal, on 30 May 2018 - 08:43 PM, said:

Just finished a German fantasy novel by a guy named Sam Feuerbach. Book's title is "Der Totengräbersohn", which translates to "The Gravedigger's Son". Have to say, I'm a bit baffled. Going into this, I kinda had high hopes, considering that the novel sits at a comfortable 4.8/5 stars on amazon with over 300 reviews. As far as the main plot goes, the novel is about the gravedigger's son, a youngster named Farin, who accidentally gets possessed by a demon (it happens). From there on out it's adventure time since all kinds of people want that demon for their own purposes. Ah, and there's some orphan girl in a totally different place of the world who goes through some hardships as well. No real connection between the two, though. The story is as standard and derivative as it gets. Evildoers with maniacal laughs in actual black robes, prophecies, bullies, grumpy teachers/masters, 2 innocent, good-natured protagonists who suffer under the thumb of cruel, cruel society, decadent priests, cheesy one-liners - the list goes on. I'm tempted to say that this is the most cliché fantasy novels I've ever read but the way Feuerbach writes actually makes it seems like he doesn't know any better. See, there's pretty much no awareness or self-reflection in the novel which creates this weird impression that Feuerbach writes fantasy as if the genre were a totally new thing. Reading this novel would probably have been a magical thing back in the thirties. Thing is, it was published last year.
What's also plain weird is Feuerbach's style as a writer. I don't know if it's his attempt at recreating archaic language used by a guy who never had formal education...but on several occasions I seriously wondered if the characters were supposed to be mentally handicapped. Reading how they talk and think is like watching a toddler walk. I mean, sure you could make the argument that it technically qualifies, but it's not exactly graceful.
Ah, and the name of the village where Farin's from is "Haufen" which means "Heap" or "Pile". In German, unless you specify what kind of "Haufen" it is, the default assumption is, you guessed it, a pile of shit. No kidding.

I'm weirdly intrigued to continue reading because, as it turns out, this was just the first novel of a trilogy.

This is one of the funniest reviews I've ever read.

At least Banks's Feersum Enjinn had the very clear conceit of being a completely uneducated character telling the story for big bits of it.

[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 30 May 2018 - 08:49 PM, said:

Abyss, on 30 May 2018 - 08:05 PM, said:

Andorion, on 29 May 2018 - 02:55 PM, said:

Read Embassytown. I was very ambivalent about this book to start with, but ended up liking it.

Heh... I was utterly into it to start but felt it faltered and failed to stick the landing.

Hunh. I found it pretty intriguing throughout, and then the end blew me away. Love that book.

polishgenius, on 30 May 2018 - 09:47 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 30 May 2018 - 09:00 PM, said:

Are divisive endings common for China Mieville?

Pretty much par for the course with him, yeah.

Very much so, with the notable exception of KRAKEN which had the greatest SQUID! SSSSSSQQQQQQQUUUUUIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!,

[Macros]

Finished Le Carres 'Legacy of Spies' last night.
Man it wasn't good. I liked The Spy the Came in From the Cold, I haven't read anything else by Le Carre so I don't know if the rest of his works tie in but the book is kind of. Sequel/Tie up of the cold. Except it's not, and it sucks. I only finished it because I have no other books away with me this week for work.
I didn't like the structure at all, entirely too many 'reports' and the like used as scene setting and links to throwback parts of the story. It just didn't work, left the novel feeling Hella disjointed and downright frustrating to read.
The ending was just....blegh. Like really 3 pages to wind up how the whole thing went down (and don't you start your crap about DEARTH again mark) this wasn't a rushed ending like time table or page count wise. I just think Of Carre had rambled his way to a certain point and realised that there wasn't really a decent way to wrap this up so just took a really shit dull prosiac pointless and nonsensical way out of it.

[Maark Abbott]

Macros, on 31 May 2018 - 05:51 AM, said:

Finished Le Carres 'Legacy of Spies' last night.
Man it wasn't good. I liked The Spy the Came in From the Cold, I haven't read anything else by Le Carre so I don't know if the rest of his works tie in but the book is kind of. Sequel/Tie up of the cold. Except it's not, and it sucks. I only finished it because I have no other books away with me this week for work.
I didn't like the structure at all, entirely too many 'reports' and the like used as scene setting and links to throwback parts of the story. It just didn't work, left the novel feeling Hella disjointed and downright frustrating to read.
The ending was just....blegh. Like really 3 pages to wind up how the whole thing went down (and don't you start your crap about DEARTH again mark) this wasn't a rushed ending like time table or page count wise. I just think Of Carre had rambled his way to a certain point and realised that there wasn't really a decent way to wrap this up so just took a really shit dull prosiac pointless and nonsensical way out of it.

Two things:

*Maark

*DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEARTH

That is all. My disgruntlement levels remain stable.

[Mentalist]

Finished Part I of "The War of Black Embers" , and it's pretty great. The Star's going to shit, this brings out the best in many characters, but everytime someone attempts to do smth noble life kicks them in the teeth, hard.

Compared to Book 2, the action is just non-stop.

[worry]

Finished The Darkness That Comes Before, and a lot faster than I expected. I found it very readable but otherwise didn't have an extreme reaction to it in either direction.

Spoiler

Negatives (for lack of a better word): The setting -- I found the world Bakker invented rather ugly and dismal, not particularly interesting in and of itself. The Sranc -- they hardly factor in this book, but if these are just more Trollocs I'm gonna be ticked. Achamian -- he's a real doofus. I don't really have a problem with his existence as a character. I just don't like him as a person. Earl -- one of the minor characters is an earl. To hell with that!

Positives: Characters -- they're all well drawn and interesting, though as I said, Achamian is a buffoon. I particularly like the dynamic between the god-emperor and his general nephew. Like, Xerius coulda been sitcom-idiot dumb, but he's not. There's something wily and partially self-aware about him, even as his deficiencies are readily apparent. And Comphas is maybe more self aware, and more acerbic in his outlook, but no less flawed in his hubris. In general, for as awful as this world is, the people in it are definitely of it, and fully formed. The Baddies -- bird-head, face-cape, the skin spies, etc. are all pretty good. I actually don't know if bird-head and face-cape are different people. Ideally the Consult really is a team of multiple creepy people with various styles and idiosyncrasies, like the Ten Who Were Taken.

The Question of Female Characters: I have a mixed reaction so far. There are a few tests we can apply. 1) Most basically, does this book pass the Bechdel Test? I'd give that a big fat No. There are the memories of Serwe talking to another woman about "blue babies" but I don't think that counts. There are similar brief mentions by Esmi that she had harlot friends and enemies. But none of these really pass muster. 2) The imagination test -- given that this is an invented fantasy world and the author was bound only by the limits of his own imagination, what did he "imagine" up for the women of his world? Frankly, a living hell for most that we see. Yah, it's a rough world that isn't particularly kind to the men in it either. There are eunuchs, there are slaves, there are castes, there are even earls (blech). But the women are definitely subordinate to men in every society of this world presented so far. I call that a failure of this test. 3) The people test -- simply put, are the women characters actually people? In that regard, I have to say Yes. Esmi and Serwe are the two major female characters (I don't believe Xerius's mother gets a POV). They both have histories, personalities, opinions, ambitions (even if Serwe's aren't particularly lofty). They both have inner lives. Now one could argue that both are also focused specifically, and maybe dominantly, by the male characters in their lives, and that is true. I would hope, since this is just a first volume, that they both have more in store. The potential is there. I would also say that there is text (or subtext) here that argues just because this is the way this world is, doesn't mean that's how a world should be. Is it enough? Again, it should increase as the series continues. I would say, given that Bakker didn't create a different kind of world for women, he created this one, and vaulting right over any numbskull "don't tell the artist how to do their art" take, he does have a responsibility to challenge the world's status quo, in one way or another. RAFO, I will.

Anyway, now I'm reading Who Fears Death by Okorafor.

[amphibian]

I will say that Bakker absolutely does take the women characters to positions of power and enables them to go after what they want even in the hell world they live in. It just takes a while and many people dip out before it happens - and it really does happen in very interesting ways.

[End of Disc One]

Man I just remembered how much I enjoy Conphas. I can't wait to go back and reread the PoN trilogy.

[polishgenius]

Luv2B_Sassy, on 31 May 2018 - 09:01 PM, said:

Anyway, now I'm reading Who Fears Death by Okorafor.

It's a good job you went for something nice and light after the grim brutality of Bakker, eh.

[Puck]

Zetubal, on 30 May 2018 - 08:43 PM, said:

Just finished a German fantasy novel by a guy named Sam Feuerbach. Book's title is "Der Totengräbersohn", which translates to "The Gravedigger's Son". Have to say, I'm a bit baffled. Going into this, I kinda had high hopes, considering that the novel sits at a comfortable 4.8/5 stars on amazon with over 300 reviews. As far as the main plot goes, the novel is about the gravedigger's son, a youngster named Farin, who accidentally gets possessed by a demon (it happens). From there on out it's adventure time since all kinds of people want that demon for their own purposes. Ah, and there's some orphan girl in a totally different place of the world who goes through some hardships as well. No real connection between the two, though. The story is as standard and derivative as it gets. Evildoers with maniacal laughs in actual black robes, prophecies, bullies, grumpy teachers/masters, 2 innocent, good-natured protagonists who suffer under the thumb of cruel, cruel society, decadent priests, cheesy one-liners - the list goes on. I'm tempted to say that this is the most cliché fantasy novels I've ever read but the way Feuerbach writes actually makes it seems like he doesn't know any better. See, there's pretty much no self-awareness or reflection in the novel which creates this weird impression that Feuerbach writes fantasy as if the genre were a totally new thing. Reading this novel would probably have been a magical thing back in the thirties. Thing is, it was published last year.
What's also plain weird is Feuerbach's style as a writer. I don't know if it's his attempt at recreating archaic language used by a guy who never had formal education...but on several occasions I seriously wondered if the characters were supposed to be mentally handicapped. Reading how they talk and think is like watching a toddler walk. I mean, sure you could make the argument that it technically qualifies, but it's not exactly graceful.
Ah, and the name of the village where Farin's from is "Haufen" which means "Heap" or "Pile". In German, unless you specify what kind of "Haufen" it is, the default assumption is, you guessed it, a pile of shit. No kidding.

I'm weirdly intrigued to continue reading because, as it turns out, this was just the first novel of a trilogy.

Welllll, looks like nothing has changed on the German fantasy lit scene since I stopped bothering with it. Funny review, though. One could almost get the idea that the village's name is self-reflection but unfortunately the rest of the thing doesn't sound like it.

[Slow Ben]

I am the Bachelorette, on 31 May 2018 - 04:40 AM, said:

I feel like shit and Ambien is kicked in so I hope these post come out rifght as text float and blur

You managed to avoid racism, which is apparently a side effect of Ambien. So nice work!

[Chance]

Done with Wrath of Empire the next powder mage book and it was a very easy read, enjoyable and entertaining not that much challange. More or less what is expected of McClellan by now.

Going to start up Emergence next the latest for C.J. Cherryh's foreigner sequence.

This post has been edited by Chance: 01 June 2018 - 03:48 AM

[Maark Abbott]

amphibian, on 31 May 2018 - 09:13 PM, said:

I will say that Bakker absolutely does take the women characters to positions of power and enables them to go after what they want even in the hell world they live in. It just takes a while and many people dip out before it happens - and it really does happen in very interesting ways.

Agree 100%.

Spoiler

Esme at the end of book 3 / into the second set of books especially

Worry - RE Bakker's world, it's very much based on feudal era Europe/Middle East (stronger ME influence mind). I often view the first series as a diatribe on religion myself, so if you view his particular crapsack world as a church-controlled middle ages dystopia it makes a lot more sense.

[worry]

polishgenius, on 31 May 2018 - 10:01 PM, said:

It's a good job you went for something nice and light after the grim brutality of Bakker, eh.

I'm starting to think this was sarcasm. Only 50 pages in and I've already been left rather viscerally shaken by one scene. Like, it might have been one of the toughest things I've ever read.

Maark Abbott, on 01 June 2018 - 07:42 AM, said:

Worry - RE Bakker's world, it's very much based on feudal era Europe/Middle East (stronger ME influence mind). I often view the first series as a diatribe on religion myself, so if you view his particular crapsack world as a church-controlled middle ages dystopia it makes a lot more sense.

Oh it already makes sense. It's just not (as a fantasy world) particularly interesting to me, and in this case, it's more unpleasant than most (deliberately so, I imagine). I'm open for the rest of the series to crack it open a bit and change my mind, or failing that, just to be something I accept alongside the series's stronger virtues. No biggie.

[Macros]

Starting ShadowBlack by Sebatian De Castel, sequel to spellslinger.

first one was reasonable enough and this was cheap cheap paperback.

one thing I already love about it, the cover has a blue surround, in contrast to the firsts red, I assume this will be a theme for the series, but they've also brushed the edges of the book in the same lovely blue. I love that kind of thing

[JPK]

I polished off Liveship about two days ago. She didn't botch the landing and this trilogy lands a solid five stars for me. It benefits from a read of the Farseer trilogy, but it's really not required if you're struggling with it and want to see why people love Hobb's work.

I've put my listen of RotCG on hold because I just can't bring myself to care about it atm. I'll return to it once I finish a different audiobook or two. That said, my selection to replace it is Watts' Echopraxia. I'm 3 hours (about 1/4) into it and absolutely loving it. I liked Blindsight, but something about this story is just utterly addicting to me.

[Andorion]

Started Lightbringer 4

Finished Perdido Street Station
An absolutely excellent book. It was nowhere near as weird as Embassytown. I absolutely loved the world building. New Crobuzon is a gorgeously written city

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 02 June 2018 - 12:15 AM, said:

Finished Perdido Street Station
An absolutely excellent book. It was nowhere near as weird as Embassytown. I absolutely loved the world building. New Crobuzon is a gorgeously written city

You NEED to read THE SCAR now.

[polishgenius]

Luv2B_Sassy, on 01 June 2018 - 08:16 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 31 May 2018 - 10:01 PM, said:

It's a good job you went for something nice and light after the grim brutality of Bakker, eh.

I'm starting to think this was sarcasm.

That's a plausible explanation.



Who Fears Death is a phenomenal book but it's harsh.