[Traveller]

Thanks I'll have a look.

I hate book-limbo.

Edit.. Children of Time just won as it's only 99p on kindle. Downloading now.

This post has been edited by T 'rav Elar: 13 October 2017 - 02:07 PM

[Salt-Man Z]

 T rav Elar, on 13 October 2017 - 10:16 AM, said:

Any suggestions? Sci-fi but not too heavy?

I'm probably too late, and I'm not sure if they 100% fit the bill, but I will never pass up an opportunity to recommend the highly-underrated Guy Haley. His Champion of Mars was my favorite read of 2016, and Crash will probably make my top 5 this year.

[Chance]

 T, on 13 October 2017 - 10:16 AM, said:

Gah, don't know what to read. Finished Hydrogen Sonata, finished a reread of Player of Games - need more Banks but I've read them.

Any suggestions? Sci-fi but not too heavy?

There really isn't that much that is remotly similiar...

Id try Neal Asher, Richard Morgan, Hannu Rajaniemi, Ann Leckie or Yoon Ha Lee.

This post has been edited by Chance: 13 October 2017 - 03:36 PM

[Traveller]

Thanks, all are noted to be investigated in the kindle store.

Bit broke at the mo so based on high review count+cost, I'll check out Children of Time. No idea why that's 99p and something like Altered Carbon book 1 is 6.99 but there you go.

[polishgenius]

It's probably a combination of CoTs relatively recent Clarke Award nomination and standalone status making it a good choice to sell cheap to draw people into Tchaikovsky as a whole, whereas Altered Carbon is an all-time classic and Richard Morgan a genre superstar, making it far less necessary to lower the price to get people to buy it. But it might be worth looking again for Altered Carbon when the TV show hits next year- if they're gonna lower the price, it'll be then.

[Andorion]

Reading 2 new sci-fi books - Netherspace and Noumenon. Both are proving to be moderately entertaining.

[Abyss]

 Abyss, on 12 October 2017 - 02:14 PM, said:

...

Am getting to the end of HELL DIVERS... this was a book (earbook) i had grabbed at serious discount a while ago on the strength of various reviews that put it as solid popcorn reading. Author is Nicholas Sansbury Smith... had never heard of him but apparently he has a bunch of more or less mil sf stuff published or self-pub'd.


It isn't bad at all. It's popcorn, way more action/thriller in an sf setting - post nuclear war apocalypse, shred of humanity survives in large airboats, commandos raid the surface for supplies - than actual sf, but he writes good Hollywood action, keeps things moving, and if his characters are easily familiar archetypes, it just means less time on development and more time running and shooting. It works. Its practically a videogame in book form, but in a good way. If he sticks the landing i'll probably go straight into the second book. Generally really strong earbook narration.

Nailed the landing... Smith writes some really solid action. Cinematic but plausible and knows how to ratchet up the tension nicely.
I went straight into bk 2 HELL DIVERS: GHOSTS and he's already thrown some crazy stuff into the mix. Building on the world's backstory a bit but still lots of running/shooting/stabbing.

Fun series. If you're looking for some popcorn reading post-apocalyptic shootemup, i think it's worth the look. Not sure of the timing of bk 3 but the author seems fairly productive.

[Aptorian]

I'm reading the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The book the HBO show is based on.

It's pretty good. Not really my kind of story but the alternate history "what if" aspect is captivating.

The author drops just enough bread crumbs about recent political events to make you hungry for more details. Meanwhile the story focuses heavily upon the protagonist trying to get through life as a human object of procreation, bound as a honorary kind of slave to some Commandant. It's part day to day experiences in this suffocating puritan America and part the protagonist mentally fleeing her prison by thinking back on the past and happier days.

The writing itself is fascinating. The author has this pecular and unfamiliar way of writing dialogue combined with observation. It makes the reading more immersive in a way I think.

So far the Handmaid, Olfred I think she is called, is just going through the motions. I am curious if something important changes in the second half or the story just exists as a window into a period of the protagonists life.

[QuickTidal]

 Alternative Goose, on 16 October 2017 - 06:29 PM, said:

I'm reading the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The book the HBO show is based on.

It's a Hulu show, not HBO.

And just don't google what Steven Erikson thinks of Atwood as an author...whispers: not much.

She lives in my city, and people fawn over her like she's some kind of author god. I personally can't stand her work. I had to do a book report on her bibliography in high school ('local talent' was the theme), and could not stomach any of it.

[Aptorian]

Ah, it seems it's another one of those American shows that HBO or Netflix buys the rights to broadcast in the Nordic region. Hulu isn't really a thing here.

Can't say I see anything wrong with this particular book. I like the way she writes character interaction. Mind you it's a special kind of bizarro human relationships in this story because of all the "North Korea" like indoctrination and fear.

Are there any other noteworthy Atwood books I should be aware of? Don't think I've ever heard about her before Handmaid's Tale. I can see from the bibliography in the book that she wrote something called Rape Fantasies ages ago. That had me doing a double take. Don't think I will be doing a library reservation on that one.

This post has been edited by Alternative Goose: 16 October 2017 - 06:59 PM

[QuickTidal]

 Alternative Goose, on 16 October 2017 - 06:57 PM, said:

Ah, it seems it's another one of those American shows that HBO or Netflix buys the rights to broadcast in the Nordic region. Hulu isn't really a thing here.

Can't say I see anything wrong with this particular book. I like the way she writes character interaction. Mind you it's a special kind of bizarro human relationships in this story because of all the "North Korea" like indoctrination and fear.

Are there any other noteworthy Atwood books I should be aware of? Don't think I've ever heard about her before Handmaid's Tale. I can see from the bibliography in the book that she wrote something called Rape Fantasies ages ago. That had me doing a double take. Don't think I will be doing a library reservation on that one.

I'm not the person to ask as I loathe her work and recommend NONE of it. LOL

[Abyss]

I dislike every bit of Atwood's writing i have ever read, the stuff forced on me by a Cdn education and that which i tried to read myself.

That said, i enjoyed the tv show far more than i expected to. They revised and updated a bunch of things, took a few logical liberties, and overall produced a solid alt-future series with mostly solid performances from the cast and good to great production all around. It's worth a look even if you dislike Atwood's books.

[polishgenius]

I've never read Atwood, but the volte-face she did on whether her books should be considered SF when she realised that admitting they are could net her loads of money makes me dislike her.

[QuickTidal]

 polishgenius, on 16 October 2017 - 08:00 PM, said:

I've never read Atwood, but the volte-face she did on whether her books should be considered SF when she realised that admitting they are could net her loads of money makes me dislike her.

^^Yep, this is what my main complaint (after having read and disliked her work as a teenager) was as well...her initial stance on SFF (Which Erikson reported...someone posted it here somewhere too) and how she's now changed her tune when the winds blew in the direction of SFF is the latest TV and movie darling...it's all part and parcel of an author believing her own press and trying to fleece more people into her work.

I've probably said this before, but I once saw her on the transit (subway) and the amount of sycophants who flocked to her and showered her with praise for the whole ride...which she grinned and enjoyed a little too much....was sickening to me.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 17 October 2017 - 02:47 PM

[Abyss]

 QuickTidal, on 17 October 2017 - 02:45 PM, said:

 polishgenius, on 16 October 2017 - 08:00 PM, said:

I've never read Atwood, but the volte-face she did on whether her books should be considered SF when she realised that admitting they are could net her loads of money makes me dislike her.

^^Yep, this is what my main complaint (after having read and disliked her work as a teenager) was as well...her initial stance on SFF (Which Erikson reported...someone posted it here somewhere too) and how she's now changed her tune when the winds blew in the direction of SFF is the latest TV and movie darling...it's all part and parcel of an author believing her own press and trying to fleece more people into her work.

I've probably said this before, but I once saw her on the transit (subway) and the amount of sycophants who flocked to her and showered her with praise for the whole ride...which she grinned and enjoyed a little too much....was sickening to me.

Pretentious AF.

Believe me, i had all the reasons not to waste a minute of life on the tv show. But the Ladybyss wanted to watch it and she watches enough crap at my request that i didn't object, and... well... damn. It wasn't bad at all.

[JPK]

I've been chipping away at The Core all week, but it's been rather slow going. I've hit page 100 and it's just now shifting to characters that I care about. Maybe it'll get better, but as of now it's looking a likely 3/5, with a max 4/5 because of the slog of the first hundred pages.

It also doesn't help that I've had The Arm of the Sphinx (Senlin Ascends sequel) as my travelling/right before bed book and it has been fantastic. I've already hit 55%, and it has just sink itself into me deep. It's scratching an itch for steampunk airship fun that I've had ever since finishing Woodings' Ketty Jay books.

This post has been edited by JPK: 17 October 2017 - 11:29 PM

[Chance]

 JPK, on 17 October 2017 - 11:25 PM, said:

I've been chipping away at The Core all week, but it's been rather slow going. I've hit page 100 and it's just now shifting to characters that I care about. Maybe it'll get better, but as of now it's looking a likely 3/5, with a max 4/5 because of the slog of the first hundred pages.

Been doing the same since last week, while I'm approaching the ending its looking like a very average book at best, too many too detailed POW's make the pacing glacial and I think the author made some poor decisions a while back and they are haunting this book. Annoys me as I've like the previous ones flaws and all.

[polishgenius]

I read Ann Leckie's Provenance, a standalone in her Imperial Radch universe (but not actually set among the Radchaai). It was fun. I really like the way Leckie builds and explores odd cultures.


Now I am excited because tomorrow is the release of Fall of Dragons, the fifth and final book in Miles Cameron's Red Knight series.

[Andorion]

 polishgenius, on 18 October 2017 - 04:17 PM, said:

I read Ann Leckie's Provenance, a standalone in her Imperial Radch universe (but not actually set among the Radchaai). It was fun. I really like the way Leckie builds and explores odd cultures.


Now I am excited because tomorrow is the release of Fall of Dragons, the fifth and final book in Miles Cameron's Red Knight series.

I am going to be reading Provenance soon.

Finished Noumenon and Netherspace, both are pretty good, though both could be better.

Currently reading Paradox Bound by Peter Clines and Wilders by Brenda Cooper.

[QuickTidal]

 polishgenius, on 18 October 2017 - 04:17 PM, said:

Now I am excited because tomorrow is the release of Fall of Dragons, the fifth and final book in Miles Cameron's Red Knight series.

Still have the first one waiting on my Kindle...hoping to get to it soon!