[polishgenius]

Mentalist, on 11 October 2019 - 12:00 AM, said:

polishgenius, on 10 October 2019 - 09:14 PM, said:

I'm reading Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson which isn't very good. Readable, and some interesting ideas, but it's just a collection of all his worst habits. The thing the story is about dooesn't start till halfway in. It's basically a collection of Stephenson's bad habits.

I must admit, I adore Stephenson's infodumps. what's he on about this time?

In theory, it's about the ethics of mind uploading, before segueing into being about the simulation hypothesis (that last part is actually quite cleverly done), but the problem is that this actually takes up maybe, what, 15% of the book? The rest of it is is dull tangents about storage capacity and Stephenson trying to do clever things with myth and fantasy archetypes that he doesn't know enough about to be really clever with.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Just finished The Dispossessed. This was a difficult book for me to engage with. The first 1/2 felt simplistic — here is an anarchist utopia, utopia is good; here is a capitalist mirror, the reflection is bad — and impersonal — Shevek's personality is severely dampened for the first few chapters, due to culture shock in the present and youth in the flashbacks.

Of course, Le Guin is never so reductionist — it may even have been intentional, a function to let readers lay their own cultural baggage atop Anarres and Urras.

It wasn't until the midway point that Shevek emerges as motivator of plots, instead of the plot's pawn. That's when it becomes enjoyable. I now see why this is regularly held up alongside Left Hand as one of her better works. (Left Hand is still better, though it does also suffer from a slow start).

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 07 October 2019 - 05:25 PM, said:

... i've been wanting to get back to the Jacka's ALEX VERUS series for a while, so after a quick internet refresher on 1-3, on to book 4, CHOSEN.

Aaaaand Just Finished.

It's funny... the book was imnsho just ok. Compared to (my sketchy recall of) the first three, this was simplistic in plot (there are bad guys, they want to kill the hero), didn't do that much to advance the lead character (he wins, life goes on), or wider storyline (the world does not change as a result)... even the action scenes, which were fun and well written, i've read similar/better in Dresden and elseseries

Spoiler

'Angry person from hero's past arrives, seeks righteous but misplaced vengeance' just isn't that original or interesting unless the specifics go somewhere semi-original. This didn't. Will and the Nightstalkers (hint: when even the characters comment on how lame the group name is, something is wrong) were not that interesting and while Jacka tried hard to write them as a serious threat, there was zero point where i actually expected anything other than Alex getting away and eventually tricking them into fighting someone bigger/badder. And they weren't a credible enough threat to raise a serious risk for the supporting cast... hell Luna ran them off by herself at one early point. The plot development of Rachel/Delio was ok, the hints at Richard Dark coming back were fine, but overall such a tiny slice of a book that more or less ran by the numbers to a predictable finale.

...but i was entertained and actually went straight into bk 5 HIDDEN, which two chapters in is already shaping up to be more interesting.

I think it's because after a series of relatively standalones i was jonesing for something a little more serial, so hitting bk 4 with books 5-9 standing by of even a good/not great series had some appeal. And many forumites have mentioned the series keeps getting better, so there's that.

[Puck]

BfuckinK, on 27 September 2019 - 04:21 AM, said:

Puck! Gideon!

So, I started it last night so this better live up to the hype. It's biggest issue so far is that I just finished rereading what contains one of my favourite trash-talking protagonists and so far, Gideon is really trying to measure up but kind of falls flat on the nose. I also dearly hope the author put as much thought into the story as they did into making up fancy-sounding titles. We'll see. I'm actually pretty easy to please as long as the narrative voice is to my liking, but again, so far it's just alright.

This post has been edited by Puck: 16 October 2019 - 02:24 PM

[Chance]

Started Queenslayer the fifth spellslinger book and laugh out loud hillarious so far, so much prefere de Castells writing in this series then the grimdark greatcoats.

[Macros]

Wowowowo book 5 of the spellslinger?
I've only read 2.

They were fun, but nothing too deep. A few dark turns. Worth continuing?

[Chance]

Macros, on 16 October 2019 - 07:21 PM, said:

Wowowowo book 5 of the spellslinger?
I've only read 2.

They were fun, but nothing too deep. A few dark turns. Worth continuing?

Not too deep, it is very fun now and then.

It does get pretty much as dark as it gets now and then but rarely revels in it.

Sometimes simple honest fun is a quality of its own, not every read needs be heavy as long as it is well written.

[Maark Abbott]

Chance, on 16 October 2019 - 08:53 PM, said:

Macros, on 16 October 2019 - 07:21 PM, said:

Wowowowo book 5 of the spellslinger?
I've only read 2.

They were fun, but nothing too deep. A few dark turns. Worth continuing?

dark as it gets

THE COFFERS, BOYS

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 15 October 2019 - 05:21 PM, said:

[Jacka's ALEX VERUS series...]

...but i was entertained and actually went straight into bk 5 HIDDEN, which two chapters in is already shaping up to be more interesting.
...

And at about the halfway mark, WAY more interesting.

Pocket dimensions are such a fun thing. Someone buy me one for Xmas.

[QuickTidal]

I'm reading the 11th book about Uhtred. It's fucking fantastic, as usual.

[amphibian]

Abyss, on 17 October 2019 - 02:28 PM, said:

Abyss, on 15 October 2019 - 05:21 PM, said:

[Jacka's ALEX VERUS series...]

...but i was entertained and actually went straight into bk 5 HIDDEN, which two chapters in is already shaping up to be more interesting.
...

And at about the halfway mark, WAY more interesting.

Pocket dimensions are such a fun thing. Someone buy me one for Xmas.

I think mid-series Jacka didn't like staying in the pure fantasy sections of this series because for a long time, he kept going to the well that produced the bad guys you were not thrilled with rather than the more interesting situations you and I both like. The series does improve considerably and the last book was very good - in part because the fantasy elements got much stronger and because certain well set up Chekov's Guns finally came through to level up the stakes and the action.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 17 October 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

Abyss, on 17 October 2019 - 02:28 PM, said:

Abyss, on 15 October 2019 - 05:21 PM, said:

[Jacka's ALEX VERUS series...]

...but i was entertained and actually went straight into bk 5 HIDDEN, which two chapters in is already shaping up to be more interesting.
...

And at about the halfway mark, WAY more interesting.

Pocket dimensions are such a fun thing. Someone buy me one for Xmas.

I think mid-series Jacka didn't like staying in the pure fantasy sections of this series because for a long time, he kept going to the well that produced the bad guys you were not thrilled with rather than the more interesting situations you and I both like. The series does improve considerably and the last book was very good - in part because the fantasy elements got much stronger and because certain well set up Chekov's Guns finally came through to level up the stakes and the action.

Noted, encouraged, tnx.

It's funny that he does that because, at least from what i see circa mid bk 5, he's said all he needs to say about Verus' past 'crimes' ...yes, yes, dark master made you do dark things that you feel bad about but were not really your fault... we get it. Move on.

The fun in this series is that Alex is perpetually outpowered by even the weaker mages around him, and how he deals with that. Jacka's strength is getting creative with that 'weakness' and avoiding the level of 'oh isn't that conveeeeeeeeenient' that bk 4 suffered from.

Anyhoo, still holding my attention nicely and it's fun to know i have four more books in the series on hand.

I have French's TRUE BASTARDS standing by for whenever i need a break.

[Salt-Man Z]

About 3/4 of the way through Claire North's Touch, which is fantastic. It shares quite a bit in common with Harry August, with a little of the feel of 84K (the revenge plot, in particular.) In this book, the protagonist is a "ghost", a species of human (?) that can pass their consciousness to another person's body through skin contact. As usual, North takes this premise and does a good job of extrapolating it out to its extremes. In particular, I like the bit about "estate agents", ghosts who make a job of finding/researching host bodies for other ghosts.

[champ]

QuickTidal, on 17 October 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

I'm reading the 11th book about Uhtred. It's fucking fantastic, as usual.

Is that War of the Wolf? I've just realised I haven't read it yet... /hangs my head in shame.

EDIT

WTF just realised his new one is out too!! I need to get moving.

This post has been edited by champ: 17 October 2019 - 03:57 PM

[QuickTidal]

champ, on 17 October 2019 - 03:56 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 17 October 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

I'm reading the 11th book about Uhtred. It's fucking fantastic, as usual.

Is that War of the Wolf? I've just realised I haven't read it yet... /hangs my head in shame.

EDIT

WTF just realised his new one is out too!! I need to get moving.

Yep. I had the same reaction as you. Mac posted that the 12th was out and I was like "Wait...have I read the 11th yet?"....LOL

The good thing is that 11 is as shortish as the rest have largely been, so I can likely be on the 12th soon.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 17 October 2019 - 05:04 PM, said:

champ, on 17 October 2019 - 03:56 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 17 October 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

I'm reading the 11th book about Uhtred. It's fucking fantastic, as usual.

Is that War of the Wolf? I've just realised I haven't read it yet... /hangs my head in shame.

EDIT

WTF just realised his new one is out too!! I need to get moving.

Yep. I had the same reaction as you. Mac posted that the 12th was out and I was like "Wait...have I read the 11th yet?"....LOL

The good thing is that 11 is as shortish as the rest have largely been, so I can likely be on the 12th soon.

What is this and should i be reading it?

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories, begins with The Last Kingdom.

Yes, you should be reading it!

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 17 October 2019 - 07:27 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 17 October 2019 - 05:04 PM, said:

champ, on 17 October 2019 - 03:56 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 17 October 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

I'm reading the 11th book about Uhtred. It's fucking fantastic, as usual.

Is that War of the Wolf? I've just realised I haven't read it yet... /hangs my head in shame.

EDIT

WTF just realised his new one is out too!! I need to get moving.

Yep. I had the same reaction as you. Mac posted that the 12th was out and I was like "Wait...have I read the 11th yet?"....LOL

The good thing is that 11 is as shortish as the rest have largely been, so I can likely be on the 12th soon.

What is this and should i be reading it?

The Saxon Stories tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants through the eyes of Uhtred, an English boy born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria, captured by the Danes and taught the Viking ways.

And yes. You fucking SHOULD be reading it. It is incredible, and Uhtred is a "take no fucks, give no fucks, viking badass" Start here. It is also a TV show (on Netflix), but start with the books.

[Tiste Simeon]

Dang I think I'm a few books behind. The last one I read was Warriors of the Storm. It was ace, as per usual but I think that's only book 9.

I know, I know... I'm disappointed in myself tbh!

[Mentalist]

Finished "Red Sister". It's a bit of a slow burn, but it picks up towards the end.

Gonna move onto the next volume of Godsdoom-2 next.