[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Goaswerfraiejen, on 25 August 2014 - 11:37 PM, said:

I deviated significantly from my plan and read Starship Troopers (turns out I'm almost certain I read it as a kid... everything seemed incredibly familiar, even if I didn't remember any details) and The Forever War. 'Twas pleasant. Guess I'm back into reading scifi, after a 10-15 year hiatus.

Maybe you had seen the movie?

[Goaswerfraiejen]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 26 August 2014 - 12:06 AM, said:

Goaswerfraiejen, on 25 August 2014 - 11:37 PM, said:

I deviated significantly from my plan and read Starship Troopers (turns out I'm almost certain I read it as a kid... everything seemed incredibly familiar, even if I didn't remember any details) and The Forever War. 'Twas pleasant. Guess I'm back into reading scifi, after a 10-15 year hiatus.

Maybe you had seen the movie?

Nope. I know for a fact I've never seen the film. I avoided it like the plague.

[acesn8s]

Briar King, on 25 August 2014 - 08:22 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 25 August 2014 - 02:07 PM, said:

Finished Salute the Dark...wow. Moved on to The Scarab Path. It's taking a little getting use to. I'm curious to see what happens now.

It's almost identical to Midnight Tides arcwise(new place,things,rules etc). It's really good and then your just a step away from the crazy ness of bk 6.

That's a good comparison. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through. Waiting for the big reveal.

[Mentalist]

acesn8s, on 26 August 2014 - 01:54 PM, said:

Briar King, on 25 August 2014 - 08:22 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 25 August 2014 - 02:07 PM, said:

Finished Salute the Dark...wow. Moved on to The Scarab Path. It's taking a little getting use to. I'm curious to see what happens now.

It's almost identical to Midnight Tides arcwise(new place,things,rules etc). It's really good and then your just a step away from the crazy ness of bk 6.

That's a good comparison. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through. Waiting for the big reveal.

Books 5-7 kind of meander all over the world (but are still awesome). Then shit hits the fan HARD in a "story just got epic" way in Bk 8.

[QuickTidal]

Hugh Howey short story GLITCH about a malfunctioning boxing robot which is not only readable, but immersively written. I'm impressed enough that I grabbed an eCopy of his book SAND.

Great author.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 26 August 2014 - 02:42 PM

[polishgenius]

Hugh Howey's Wool is excellent. Shift too, though a little bit less. Not yet read the third, but he's an author with a future ahead of him.




I just finished The Anvil of Ice by Michael Scott Rohan, the first book in the Winter of the World series. Anyone else read these? They're a sequence from the late eighties (continuing in the late nineties with three more books), but throw back to much older stories like Conan and the Lankhmar books. Unlike those this is a more continuous story, but it definitely has that style to it, both in writing and the plot.

Basically, a rolicking adventure set in our ice age. It's got an interesting (if vague) mythology/magic system too, with a strong aspect of magic based on blacksmithing (the main character is one), which is pretty cool.

It doesn't seem to have left much of an impression on fantasy history and appears to only be available now on ebook through Orion/Gollancz's SFGateway project. But it's worth a read for any fans of old-school swords-and-sorcery.



If you're not familiar with it, by the way, SF Gateway is an absolutely superb list - it's an extension of their SF Masterworks series, expanded online to include basically every author they can get the rights to, including some (like Rohan) who are no longer available in print. Often very cheaply. Some gems in there.

[Abyss]

Mentalist, on 26 August 2014 - 02:11 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 26 August 2014 - 01:54 PM, said:

Briar King, on 25 August 2014 - 08:22 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 25 August 2014 - 02:07 PM, said:

Finished Salute the Dark...wow. Moved on to The Scarab Path. It's taking a little getting use to. I'm curious to see what happens now.

It's almost identical to Midnight Tides arcwise(new place,things,rules etc). It's really good and then your just a step away from the crazy ness of bk 6.

That's a good comparison. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through. Waiting for the big reveal.

Books 5-7 kind of meander all over the world (but are still awesome). Then shit hits the fan HARD in a "story just got epic" way in Bk 8.

is this series done with bk 10?

[Mentalist]

Abyss, on 26 August 2014 - 04:58 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 26 August 2014 - 02:11 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 26 August 2014 - 01:54 PM, said:

Briar King, on 25 August 2014 - 08:22 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 25 August 2014 - 02:07 PM, said:

Finished Salute the Dark...wow. Moved on to The Scarab Path. It's taking a little getting use to. I'm curious to see what happens now.

It's almost identical to Midnight Tides arcwise(new place,things,rules etc). It's really good and then your just a step away from the crazy ness of bk 6.

That's a good comparison. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through. Waiting for the big reveal.

Books 5-7 kind of meander all over the world (but are still awesome). Then shit hits the fan HARD in a "story just got epic" way in Bk 8.

is this series done with bk 10?

yes, supposedly. Though it's not out in MMPB (so i didn't buy it yet and can't tell you if Bk 10 is a letdown/ leaves room open for more). Bk 9 set things up for quite a finsh, though, although I'm not 100% enamoured with where Tchaikovsky started to take things.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 26 August 2014 - 07:01 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

I have really struggled recently to get into any new books. I read I am Pilgrim cos I picked it up cheaply in the airport and that was great. I read Moon Over Soho which was also pretty good. However I keep starting books and seriously not being able to get into them. I started Grunts by Mary Gentle, got bored about 10% in. I started that Edda of Burdens series but so far I haven't been struck by anything exciting. I dunno maybe I should put it on hold and get Assail then start again later!

[amphibian]

Goaswerfraiejen, on 26 August 2014 - 12:26 PM, said:

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 26 August 2014 - 12:06 AM, said:

Goaswerfraiejen, on 25 August 2014 - 11:37 PM, said:

I deviated significantly from my plan and read Starship Troopers (turns out I'm almost certain I read it as a kid... everything seemed incredibly familiar, even if I didn't remember any details) and The Forever War. 'Twas pleasant. Guess I'm back into reading scifi, after a 10-15 year hiatus.

Maybe you had seen the movie?

Nope. I know for a fact I've never seen the film. I avoided it like the plague.

The movie is fantastic. It completely subverts Heinlein (which is a GREAT THING) and turns into a minor masterpiece of satire and deeper meanings buried in silly action.

I have no idea why people would skip it now, 17 years after it came out.

[Baco Xtath]

Finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World; my first Murakami experience. Loved it. I've already downloaded Kafka by the Shore and am on hold for Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Also about 1/3 through The Girl with All the Gifts; it's good so far. A very different take on zombies. Also a couple hours into Runner and Shift, both good so far.

At 90% in Tigerman; it's no Gone-Away World but I really have enjoyed it anyway. Starting Echopraxia tonight.

Vandermeer's Acceptance in one week! Hell yeah.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 26 August 2014 - 09:09 PM, said:

Goaswerfraiejen, on 26 August 2014 - 12:26 PM, said:

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 26 August 2014 - 12:06 AM, said:

Goaswerfraiejen, on 25 August 2014 - 11:37 PM, said:

I deviated significantly from my plan and read Starship Troopers (turns out I'm almost certain I read it as a kid... everything seemed incredibly familiar, even if I didn't remember any details) and The Forever War. 'Twas pleasant. Guess I'm back into reading scifi, after a 10-15 year hiatus.

Maybe you had seen the movie?

Nope. I know for a fact I've never seen the film. I avoided it like the plague.

The movie is fantastic. It completely subverts Heinlein (which is a GREAT THING) and turns into a minor masterpiece of satire and deeper meanings buried in silly action.

I have no idea why people would skip it now, 17 years after it came out.

Seconded... tongue firmly in cheek, STARSHIP TROOPERS is great fun and very clever in its own way. The various sequels, cartoons and whatever that followed are as shallow as anyone thinks, but the original movie, flaws and bad edits aside aside, is worth a watch.

[amphibian]

I actually liked the CGI tv series. They did a great job of making it more about space exploration in a hostile universe and camaraderie than satire or Halo style war fetish.

The sequels that are movies aren't that great.

[Morgoth]

I enjoyed how the script writer / director saw Heinlein's views for what they were and made the humans of Starship Troopers litteraly space nazis.

[Macros]

On the rohan scott front
I've read two of the winter of the world books, quite enjoyable, always meant to go back for more

[D'iversify]

Halfway through Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, a fictionalised account of the lives to two very different German scientists, Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Friedrich Gauss, both who came from Brunswick and lived around 1800. Was recommended to me by a German colleague, apparently was something of a publishing sensation over there. A pleasant and interesting read so far and seem well translated, though I am a bit miffed at the occasional use of the term 'biologist', which as I understand it didn't come into broad circulation until the mid-19h century (these things matter for a historian!).

[Serenity]

polishgenius, on 26 August 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

If you're not familiar with it, by the way, SF Gateway is an absolutely superb list - it's an extension of their SF Masterworks series, expanded online to include basically every author they can get the rights to, including some (like Rohan) who are no longer available in print. Often very cheaply. Some gems in there.

SF Gateway has taken far too much of my money over the last couple of years . . .

Abyss, on 26 August 2014 - 10:54 PM, said:

amphibian, on 26 August 2014 - 09:09 PM, said:

Goaswerfraiejen, on 26 August 2014 - 12:26 PM, said:

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 26 August 2014 - 12:06 AM, said:

Goaswerfraiejen, on 25 August 2014 - 11:37 PM, said:

I deviated significantly from my plan and read Starship Troopers (turns out I'm almost certain I read it as a kid... everything seemed incredibly familiar, even if I didn't remember any details) and The Forever War. 'Twas pleasant. Guess I'm back into reading scifi, after a 10-15 year hiatus.

Maybe you had seen the movie?

Nope. I know for a fact I've never seen the film. I avoided it like the plague.

The movie is fantastic. It completely subverts Heinlein (which is a GREAT THING) and turns into a minor masterpiece of satire and deeper meanings buried in silly action.

I have no idea why people would skip it now, 17 years after it came out.

Seconded... tongue firmly in cheek, STARSHIP TROOPERS is great fun and very clever in its own way.

Yeah. I'm still trying to work out how Titanic won the Oscar for Best SFX in the same year that Starship Troopers was out. Mind you, I'm still trying to work out how Titanic won Best Film in the year LA Confidential was out, too



I'm currently around two thirds of the way through my re-read of Deadhouse Gates. It's about five years since the last time and I was kind of worried I might not enjoy it so much third time through. Boy, was I wrong

[QuickTidal]

Started SAND by Hugh Howey, and was so engrossed I nearly missed my damned subway stop.

Seriously. Unique world building!

[Abyss]

Serenity, on 27 August 2014 - 10:36 AM, said:

...

Yeah. I'm still trying to work out how Titanic won the Oscar for Best SFX in the same year that Starship Troopers was out. Mind you, I'm still trying to work out how Titanic won Best Film in the year LA Confidential was out, too

Technically it's harder to make something real (spoilers! a big ship hitting an iceberg and sinking) look real than it is to make something unreal (spaceships, giant bugs, especially giant vagina brain bugs being massaged by Dougie Houser) look even semi-real.

Quote

I'm currently around two thirds of the way through my re-read of Deadhouse Gates. It's about five years since the last time and I was kind of worried I might not enjoy it so much third time through. Boy, was I wrong

Oh ye of little faith....

But yeah, i had the same feeling the third time i read it... or was it the fourth... or was that MoI.... i have a problem...

[Serenity]

Abyss, on 27 August 2014 - 02:05 PM, said:

Serenity, on 27 August 2014 - 10:36 AM, said:

...

Yeah. I'm still trying to work out how Titanic won the Oscar for Best SFX in the same year that Starship Troopers was out. Mind you, I'm still trying to work out how Titanic won Best Film in the year LA Confidential was out, too

Technically it's harder to make something real (spoilers! a big ship hitting an iceberg and sinking) look real than it is to make something unreal (spaceships, giant bugs, especially giant vagina brain bugs being massaged by Dougie Houser) look even semi-real.

Agreed, but then the actual cgi (as opposed to the mock-up they made of the ship) in Titanic is appalling in comparison. In my opinion, of course - I reckon it was more Hollywood trying to justify the money it spent on Titanic than any merits the film might have had.




<<studiously ignores QT >>

Abyss, on 27 August 2014 - 02:05 PM, said:

Quote

I'm currently around two thirds of the way through my re-read of Deadhouse Gates. It's about five years since the last time and I was kind of worried I might not enjoy it so much third time through. Boy, was I wrong

Oh ye of little faith....

But yeah, i had the same feeling the third time i read it... or was it the fourth... or was that MoI.... i have a problem...

LOL, that's why we're here

This post has been edited by Serenity: 27 August 2014 - 04:16 PM