[rhulad]

Has anyone read The Ghost Brigade by Scalzi? I read Old Man's War a while back and was wondering if the squeal was worth picking up?

[QuickTidal]

rhulad, on 23 February 2012 - 04:05 PM, said:

Has anyone read The Ghost Brigade by Scalzi? I read Old Man's War a while back and was wondering if the squeal was worth picking up?

Personally as much as I loved OLD MAN'S WAR, I think I enjoyed THE GHOST BRIGADE even more! Even though the main character shifts to another soldier, it's VERY good. While you are at it, you may as well get the 3rd book THE LAST COLONY as well.

But yeah, GHOST BRIGADE is awesome.

[Tapper]

Finished Ilium. What started great ended with a bit of an expected deus ex-machina with both Prospero and the rockvec coming up to save the day, even if Prospero and Caliban apparently have a part to play in the sequel.

However... Hock-en-bear-eeeee getting his brains screwed out by Helen was quite a bit too much wishful thinking on the author's behalf to be even remotely entertaining. If she straight away noticed he wasn't Paris, if she did know he wasn't a god parading as Paris, why would she still bed him if she could conjure that knife at will? It can't just be curiosity whether unknown person X offers the women a chance to end the war, nor curiosity in how he is in bed.
Most certainly not since Simmons went with the overly romantic components of the Iliad instead of the gritty versions that are just as easily conjured. Andromache being such a wilfull woman was awesome.

I will pick up the next book but I just don't think I finished a true classic. Too many elements that just didn't quite get there or were plain and unexplained odd.

[rhulad]

QuickTidal, on 23 February 2012 - 04:15 PM, said:

rhulad, on 23 February 2012 - 04:05 PM, said:

Has anyone read The Ghost Brigade by Scalzi? I read Old Man's War a while back and was wondering if the squeal was worth picking up?

Personally as much as I loved OLD MAN'S WAR, I think I enjoyed THE GHOST BRIGADE even more! Even though the main character shifts to another soldier, it's VERY good. While you are at it, you may as well get the 3rd book THE LAST COLONY as well.

But yeah, GHOST BRIGADE is awesome.

Sounds like a plan, thanks. Off to the Library! (book store).

[acesn8s]

Finished Altered Carbon and have moved on to Broken Angels (Takashi Kovacs book 2). Really like Altered Carbon.

[Abyss]

acesn8s, on 24 February 2012 - 06:36 PM, said:

Finished Altered Carbon and have moved on to Broken Angels (Takashi Kovacs book 2). Really like Altered Carbon.

You won't be dissappointed. BA is somewhat different in tone but totally enjoyable. You might as well line up WOKEN FURIES now and save yourself some time.

[amphibian]

Tapper, on 23 February 2012 - 04:25 PM, said:

Finished Ilium. What started great ended with a bit of an expected deus ex-machina with both Prospero and the rockvec coming up to save the day, even if Prospero and Caliban apparently have a part to play in the sequel.

However... Hock-en-bear-eeeee getting his brains screwed out by Helen was quite a bit too much wishful thinking on the author's behalf to be even remotely entertaining. If she straight away noticed he wasn't Paris, if she did know he wasn't a god parading as Paris, why would she still bed him if she could conjure that knife at will? It can't just be curiosity whether unknown person X offers the women a chance to end the war, nor curiosity in how he is in bed.
Most certainly not since Simmons went with the overly romantic components of the Iliad instead of the gritty versions that are just as easily conjured. Andromache being such a wilfull woman was awesome.

I will pick up the next book but I just don't think I finished a true classic. Too many elements that just didn't quite get there or were plain and unexplained odd.

Actually, I think the wishful thinking on Simmons' part is thinking that a big portion of his audience cared about Proust. Hockenberry's relationship with Helen was kinda a nice way to introduce how sex is a tool to her and explained her bed-hopping in a way that made more sense than simply "fell in love with Paris". The knife scene was done as a test to see whether she was dealing with a god or some other magician that could take Paris's appearance. It turned out to be the latter and she wasn't fried to a crisp by an irate Zeus or some other god.

Olympos is a decent book - although I think Simmons has a real problem with endings (outside of The Terror). Pick it up, forgive him for going too heavy on the Shakespeare and enjoy the Odysseus moments.

[Salt-Man Z]

amphibian, on 24 February 2012 - 08:14 PM, said:

I think Simmons has a real problem with endings (outside of The Terror).

I agree, and even the ending of The Terror, though it was good, kinda took a hard turn out of left field. But yeah, Ilium/Olmpus, Hyperion, Endymion... all relatively disappointing endings. I always like to say that with Simmons, it's the journey I look forward to, if not the destination.

[Mentalist]

Finished the first Darkness book. I remember why I liked it.

[polishgenius]

Just finished the fourth book in Kate Griffin's Urban Magic series, The Minority Council, which is excellent, and am now reading Benedict Jacka's Fated, the first in his Alex Verus series (also a London set urban fantasy), which I'm enjoying so far.

[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 24 February 2012 - 08:44 PM, said:

amphibian, on 24 February 2012 - 08:14 PM, said:

I think Simmons has a real problem with endings (outside of The Terror).

I agree, and even the ending of The Terror, though it was good, kinda took a hard turn out of left field. But yeah, Ilium/Olmpus, Hyperion, Endymion... all relatively disappointing endings. I always like to say that with Simmons, it's the journey I look forward to, if not the destination.

I haven't read the rest, but i thought the ending to the HYPERION set was brilliant.

[Use Of Weapons]

T77, on 23 February 2012 - 02:42 PM, said:

I'm about 40% into The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham and I am not liking it so far. Does it get any better or should I bail?

Stick with it, you wont' be disappointed. It's something of a slow-burner, and it's a more traditional fantasy than the Long Price, but it's got a heck of a pay-off.


I'm currently reading _Trick or Treatment_, Simon Singh and Edvard Ernst's book about complementary and alternative medicine.

This post has been edited by UseOfWeapons: 24 February 2012 - 10:50 PM

[pat5150]

Just finished Tad Williams newest collection of short fiction, A Stark and Wormy Knight. Some stories are hit or miss, but there are a few gems in there. It should satisfy the author's legions of fans.

Check out the blog for the full review.

Cheers,

Patrick

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

Morgoth, on 23 February 2012 - 11:07 AM, said:

Do you think we would throw around accusations of homophobia simply because Card is a mormon? In instances like this, Google is truly your friend.

Okay, okay, geez. I've already given my mea culpas on this one. I spouted off before running google errands, because 99 times out of 100, when you read this type of thing on the internet it boils down to hyperbole, exaggeration, and misinterpretation (e.g. the-much-beloved-on-this-website Scott Bakker vs. the mysogyny accusers). My post was an attempt to casually suggest a word of caution against making such claims, particularly in a thread that is supposed to be about the fiction we are reading, not rants about the authors. I was not defending any actual statements by Card or trying to start an argument with non-fans. I had no idea the Card thing was such a well known and documented subject matter. I live in a cave and read only fiction. I hereby lay down my weapons and surrender. Now let's go have a beer. It sounds like you could use one.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

Erikson has ruined fantasy for me. I am picky and impatient now. Of the numerous fantasy entries I've read lately, only GRRM's ASoIaF, Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles, and Alexey Pehov's Chronicles of Siala seem to be series worthy of continuing...

[Baco Xtath]

I'm a little over halfway through Proven Guilty and I'm wishing Dresden would make a human mistake like:

Spoiler

Having a threesome with Molly and Murphy (yeah, I know Molly's 17 but she's fictional and I have to imagine she's really 18).

Though "mistake" is probably the exact antonym of the word I'd use.

[amphibian]

Kruppe, on 25 February 2012 - 09:20 PM, said:

99 times out of 100, when you read this type of thing on the internet it boils down to hyperbole, exaggeration, and misinterpretation (e.g. the-much-beloved-on-this-website Scott Bakker vs. the mysogyny accusers). My post was an attempt to casually suggest a word of caution against making such claims, particularly in a thread that is supposed to be about the fiction we are reading, not rants about the authors.

It's a good idea, just not so well-executed in this case.

The Bakker thing is primarily championed by someone who is perhaps one of the worst internet trolls I have ever seen. This person has made up an identity as an Asian lesbian to foster some kind of bizarre sympathy for his vile gushings. Pat over on the Fantasy Hotlist seems to take a particular delight in posting the occasional well-done takedowns of the troll's blitherings by people like Peter Watts.

However, the best thing to do with these trolls is to just ignore 'em. There is literally nothing of worth in that particular troll's criticisms of misogyny and more because that troll admitted he/she never read past the first six pages of Bakker's work.

I do think that Bakker has created women characters that are beyond screwed up in contrast to a cast of male characters who aren't as across the board screwed up and/or are screwed up in more and divergent ways than the women are. This might be a reflection of Bakker's own thoughts and worth examining, but it's not the simple misogyny the troll is yapping on about. I have people on this here board who believe I hate/dismiss women or at least were posturing as such for amusement and/or sympathy so I can relate a bit to Bakker's bewilderment. However, the bewilderment doesn't relieve either one of us a due searching and testing of our positions and attitudes. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Card's homophobia is basically open and shut bigotism on his part. Not much anyone can do to defend that and he seems to have done some minor steps towards retraction too.

[polishgenius]

amphibian, on 25 February 2012 - 09:36 PM, said:

The Bakker thing is primarily championed by someone who is perhaps one of the worst internet trolls I have ever seen.

I'm sorry, but that's not true at all. You only have to hop on over to the Westeros other lit boards and search for 'Bakker and Women' to find multiple threads discussing the matter going back to at least 2009, and they're hardly the extent of the discussion, topics frequently get derailed if someone so much as hints at the subject. You can find Bakker blog posts referencing the subject going back before then too, so I presume it was wider spread than just Westeros (though he did join in there at one point, starting off as a sockpuppet - - which he got a bit of stick for in its own right but he did reveal himself and get stuck in properly (I think it was more misjudgement of internet moods regarding authors taking part in the discussion of their own books than a genuine attempt to mislead people). Requires Only That You Hate (I'm presuming that's what you're on about) only posted about Bakker last year and iirc only got linked in to one of those discussions on Westeros late in the year.

I'm not saying ROH isn't being a dickbag about their contribution to the discussion and did apparently cause a spike in interest in it, but it was going on long before that, and by people who have fully read the books.

[worry]

That elicits another question though: What kind of monster would casually hop on over to the Westeros board and expect to remain unsullied?

[QuickTidal]

I was on Westeros for about a week before feeling utterly dirty and gross. I have since not gone back.

and OnTopic:

I decided on some classic fantasy readin' and started Feist's MAGICIAN: APPRENTICE...

plus I have an ARC of the second of Will Hill's DEPARTMENT 19 book THE RISING.