[Morgoth]

Salt-Man Z, on 25 April 2014 - 01:10 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 25 April 2014 - 08:23 AM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 21 April 2014 - 03:26 PM, said:

Graablick, on 19 April 2014 - 10:30 PM, said:

If the Gap series is as mentally exhaustingas the stories about Covernat I'll better read them in the summer.

More, actually. Still one of the best sci-fi series I've ever read, though.

I genuinely hated the two first books of the Gap series. So you are objectively wrong, Salty.

Oh? It's not more exhausting than Covenant? Or is it not one of the best sci-fi series that I've read? Please enlighten me as to which of those statements is "objectively wrong". (And then we can poll the forums, and I'll bet I win.)

(But I don't rank either of the first two books highly, either. The series--all five books--as a whole, though? Love it.)

You're opinion conflicts with mine, ergo you are objectively wrong. Hardly a controversial statement I would have thought.

[polishgenius]

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[QuickTidal]

Finally reading WHISPERS UNDERGROUND by Aaronovitch, and I'm really quite enjoying it.

I THINK, he may even be pushing Mike Carey to third place and taking second place under Butcher #1 on my fave all time Urban Fantasy author list...this series just contiunues to improve and expand. Looking fwd to BROKEN HOMES to take along with SKIN GAME on my honeymoon.

An aside: And I still can't get over a giant spider seamstress in the Benedict Jacka books enough to take him at all seriously. ever time I read one of those books and get to an Arachne underground lair chapter, I roll my eyes so hard they almost jump out of my head.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 26 April 2014 - 02:13 PM

[firvulag]

Abyss, on 23 April 2014 - 04:13 AM, said:

firvulag, on 21 April 2014 - 07:27 PM, said:

Uh, I hated the ending of Faith by John Love. Set up was cool, bunch of psychos get trained to use Earth's most advanced warship to take on an alien threat. But I just couldn't get over the fact that the captain was a convicted rapist and the 2nd officer was a multiple murderer. At least Thomas Covenant felt guilt over what he did!...

The ending was certainly a love it or hate it thing. Worked for me.As for the characters, if you think they felt no regret, I think you may have missed some of the byplay, specifically between the two you mentioned.

Looking back I'm hoping I didn't miss any byplay, think it's simply that I forgot :S I vaguely remember the captain meeting up with his victim years after the fact, but no recollection of the killer expressing regret/remorse. It has been a few years though

I really wanted to like Rivers of London but ended up quitting half way through, maybe I just didn't get it?

Just finished the Braided Path trilogy (omnibus edition) by Chris Wooding and was very impressed. The books were a lot darker than I was expecting so I was taken a little aback by that.

Now reading Zone One by Coulson Whitehead. Not your typical zombie novel and the amount of flashbacks is slowing things down a bit but good enough to stick with.

This post has been edited by firvulag: 26 April 2014 - 02:34 PM

[firvulag]

polishgenius, on 24 April 2014 - 06:37 PM, said:

So, having said I would, I read the second book in Gary Gibson's Shoal trilogy, Nova War. Fans of big, bombastic space opera are highly recommended to give this a try. While things rattle off a bit too quickly, meaning there's not as much weight as there should be to both events in general and certain character moments (it reads rather like Peter F Hamilton on fast-forward), the world-building has imagination and verve, the action is action-y, and it has the big, big bonus point of one character in particular that I absolutely loved reading about.

Currently reading Lagoon, the latest by Nnedi Okorafor. I'm only a little way into it, but having read her first full novel, Who Fears Death - a remarkable though sometimes difficult piece of work which has only grown on me in the about-a-year since I read it- and greatly enjoying this one so far, I have no trouble saying that this author is likely going to go very high in my favourites list.

It's definately worth sticking with the trilogy, and I definitely recommend the fourth book Marauder. Gibson himself has stated that while it's set in the Shoal universe, albeit 200 years later, it's perfectly readable as a stand alone book. While this is true, I certainly felt that I got more out of it having read the Shoal Sequence immediately before it.

[firvulag]

Morgoth, on 26 April 2014 - 06:19 AM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 25 April 2014 - 01:10 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 25 April 2014 - 08:23 AM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 21 April 2014 - 03:26 PM, said:

Graablick, on 19 April 2014 - 10:30 PM, said:

If the Gap series is as mentally exhaustingas the stories about Covernat I'll better read them in the summer.

More, actually. Still one of the best sci-fi series I've ever read, though.

I genuinely hated the two first books of the Gap series. So you are objectively wrong, Salty.

Oh? It's not more exhausting than Covenant? Or is it not one of the best sci-fi series that I've read? Please enlighten me as to which of those statements is "objectively wrong". (And then we can poll the forums, and I'll bet I win.)

(But I don't rank either of the first two books highly, either. The series--all five books--as a whole, though? Love it.)

You're opinion conflicts with mine, ergo you are objectively wrong. Hardly a controversial statement I would have thought.

Shouldn't you be using the word Subjectively rather than Objectively?

Apologies in advance for the multiple posts, not really sure how to quote multiple people in one single post

[Salt-Man Z]

Morgoth, on 26 April 2014 - 06:19 AM, said:

You're opinion conflicts with mine, ergo you are objectively wrong. Hardly a controversial statement I would have thought.

In that case, your use of the word "objectively" is objectively wrong.

[dietl]

Finished DG last week or so and am about half way through MOI. Great, as was expected.

I objectively loved the Gap series from start to finish and that's totally not subjective.

[HiddenOne]

Is there really a semantics argument underway in this thread?

I must object

[Salt-Man Z]

HiddenOne, on 26 April 2014 - 03:20 PM, said:

I must object

Don't change the subject.

[QuickTidal]

you're all a bunch of REjects.

Heyoooo!

[polishgenius]

firvulag, on 26 April 2014 - 02:39 PM, said:

Apologies in advance for the multiple posts, not really sure how to quote multiple people in one single post

There's a multiquote button under each post. Hit it under each one you want to reply to, then go to 'Use Full Editor' (there may be a more convenient way than this, but I don't know it). The chosen posts will show up then.

[amphibian]

polishgenius, on 26 April 2014 - 04:21 PM, said:

firvulag, on 26 April 2014 - 02:39 PM, said:

Apologies in advance for the multiple posts, not really sure how to quote multiple people in one single post

There's a multiquote button under each post. Hit it under each one you want to reply to, then go to 'Use Full Editor' (there may be a more convenient way than this, but I don't know it). The chosen posts will show up then.

Hit multiquote and then hit "Add Reply" just below the last post in the thread, rather than doing the post in the Fast Reply box below the thread. The quotes will be in order of selection in the post waiting for you to fix up.

The Use Full Editor thing is if you're already writing something in the Fast Reply and want to edit it further or add some images/formatting.

[Morgoth]

This last page is deeply disappointing.

[Abyss]

Morgoth, on 26 April 2014 - 11:59 PM, said:

This last page is deeply disappointing.

Briar King, on 27 April 2014 - 12:21 AM, said:

?

He means in life.

[JPK]

I finished THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE. That... was an odd book. I suspect I'll have to do a reread in the future to try to pick up on finer points that I must have missed.

I decided to polish off FORSWORN, the powder mage short story by Brian McClellan. That knocks out all of the current powder mage material so I'm ready for THE CRIMSON CAMPAIGN when it shows up. (Which it will likely do while I'm on vacation, so it'll just have to be the first book I rip into when I get back.)

I took Amph's advice and started LUCIFER tonight. I read the first three issues. Not much that I can say other than: Amph, you're right. I think I'm gonna enjoy this.

Finally, I started WILDWOOD by Colin Meloy tonight. It's a fantasy story set in my hometown written by one of my favorite musicians (He's the singer and writer for The Decemberists). It's YA so I suspect I'll chew through it pretty quickly.

[firvulag]

polishgenius, on 26 April 2014 - 04:21 PM, said:

firvulag, on 26 April 2014 - 02:39 PM, said:

Apologies in advance for the multiple posts, not really sure how to quote multiple people in one single post

There's a multiquote button under each post. Hit it under each one you want to reply to, then go to 'Use Full Editor' (there may be a more convenient way than this, but I don't know it). The chosen posts will show up then.

amphibian, on 26 April 2014 - 05:32 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 26 April 2014 - 04:21 PM, said:

firvulag, on 26 April 2014 - 02:39 PM, said:

Apologies in advance for the multiple posts, not really sure how to quote multiple people in one single post

There's a multiquote button under each post. Hit it under each one you want to reply to, then go to 'Use Full Editor' (there may be a more convenient way than this, but I don't know it). The chosen posts will show up then.

Hit multiquote and then hit "Add Reply" just below the last post in the thread, rather than doing the post in the Fast Reply box below the thread. The quotes will be in order of selection in the post waiting for you to fix up.

The Use Full Editor thing is if you're already writing something in the Fast Reply and want to edit it further or add some images/formatting.

Hey, thanks for that guys

[Andorion]

Just finished Peter F Hamilton's "Great North Road". Excellent read. Detective novel with a semi space opera alien angle.

[Grief]

The Incredible Kitsu, on 27 April 2014 - 05:18 AM, said:

I finished THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE. That... was an odd book. I suspect I'll have to do a reread in the future to try to pick up on finer points that I must have missed.

Yeah, it certainly is that.

I actually think you'd be better (if you haven't already), just picking up a different Murakami rather than re-reading. Similar themes recur throughout most of his work, and I this means they sort of shed light on each other, and what he's getting at. Most people rate Wind-Up Bird as one of his strongest works (though for me it isn't quite up there), and it is very archetypical of him thematically and in terms of recurring motifs and ideas. However, I also found it quite a slow read in comparison to most of his other stuff. It might just be that I read it having read a few of his works in quick succession, so was starting to get burnt out on him. I suspect it's something else though. Perhaps the slowness is down to erratic style of it, I'm not sure.

I suppose what I'm getting at is that while I would absolutely recommend him as an author, Wind-Up Bird isn't the book I would recommend starting with. My recommendations in that regard would be either Dance Dance Dance (ignore that it's sort of a sequel, it works fine as a stand alone and the prequel is one of his weaker books), Kafka on the Shore (younger protagonist but I wouldn't really call it YA, though it deals with themes a lot of YA work does, as well as some that most YA work definitely doesn't), Norwegian Wood (a bit different from his typical work in a way, but the one that launched him to huge acclaim).

[JPK]

Grief, on 27 April 2014 - 04:03 PM, said:

The Incredible Kitsu, on 27 April 2014 - 05:18 AM, said:

I finished THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE. That... was an odd book. I suspect I'll have to do a reread in the future to try to pick up on finer points that I must have missed.

Yeah, it certainly is that.

I actually think you'd be better (if you haven't already), just picking up a different Murakami rather than re-reading. Similar themes recur throughout most of his work, and I this means they sort of shed light on each other, and what he's getting at. Most people rate Wind-Up Bird as one of his strongest works (though for me it isn't quite up there), and it is very archetypical of him thematically and in terms of recurring motifs and ideas. However, I also found it quite a slow read in comparison to most of his other stuff. It might just be that I read it having read a few of his works in quick succession, so was starting to get burnt out on him. I suspect it's something else though. Perhaps the slowness is down to erratic style of it, I'm not sure.

I suppose what I'm getting at is that while I would absolutely recommend him as an author, Wind-Up Bird isn't the book I would recommend starting with. My recommendations in that regard would be either Dance Dance Dance (ignore that it's sort of a sequel, it works fine as a stand alone and the prequel is one of his weaker books), Kafka on the Shore (younger protagonist but I wouldn't really call it YA, though it deals with themes a lot of YA work does, as well as some that most YA work definitely doesn't), Norwegian Wood (a bit different from his typical work in a way, but the one that launched him to huge acclaim).

Yeah, I'm REALLY glad that wasn't my first Murakami. It might have scared me off. I've got KAFKA ON THE SHORE and 1Q84 lined up as the next two from him. I will eventually come back to WIND-UP, but not for at least two or three years.