Reading in August 2012

[Ash]

Just finished Caliban's War, I think I enjoyed it more than the first book, especially the new pov characters. I agree it is more of the same, but that’s essentially true of many series. I suppose that reaction puts me in a minority on here.

Now delving into the occult depths of The Fuller Memorandum. I love this series of books, something about the British civil service fighting Eldritch horrors does it for me.

[chitman13]

I made another push and finished Prophets by S Andrew Swann yesterday. I really enjoyed this one, more so than I first thought I would. Despite that, it comes across as a novel that builds a story, world, and characters, rather than tells one properly. The pieces have been set up nicely though, and after the events at the end I'm very much looking forward to get around to Heretics, the second book.

[Chrysippus]

I liked the book a lot and would encourage others to read it and discuss it. But I don't think it's the right book to read if you're in the mood for a fast-paced space thriller. Better to wait until you're in the mood for something more slow burning and detailed.

Good to know. I'll probably put it aside till winter break when I'm not writing a bunch of papers on Plato.

Just finished Caliban's War, I think I enjoyed it more than the first book, especially the new pov characters. I agree it is more of the same, but that’s essentially true of many series. I suppose that reaction puts me in a minority on here.

I think I share your reaction; sure, Caliban's War was more of the same, but when the first book in the series was so good, I'm alright with that.

[Hobbit]

till winter break when I'm not writing a bunch of papers on Plato.

I'm clearly spending too much time in the SF Forum: I read this as

till winter break when I'm not writing a bunch of papers on Pluto.

*Sigh*

Anyway, to business: about 900 pages of the previously mentioned Peter Hamilton Great North Road read and about 200 to go. It took a long time getting going - possibly too long - but now it is going, it is really going.

Mark

[Kazz Wylde]

I'm clearly spending too much time in the SF Forum: I read this as

*Sigh*

Anyway, to business: about 900 pages of the previously mentioned Peter Hamilton Great North Road read and about 200 to go. It took a long time getting going - possibly too long - but now it is going, it is really going.

Mark

Really going huh? Tell us more.

[Hobbit]

Difficult to say too much, Kazz, without giving 'stuff' away, but

Nasty aliens, apocalyptic climate change, criminal politics, economic meltdown...

Going to be an interesting one to write a review for....

...but it could all go bad in the last 200 pages or so. Peter's juggling a lot of things altogether here at my point of reading...

Mark

[Kazz Wylde]

Difficult to say too much, Kazz, without giving 'stuff' away, but

Nasty aliens, apocalyptic climate change, criminal politics, economic meltdown...

Going to be an interesting one to write a review for....

...but it could all go bad in the last 200 pages or so. Peter's juggling a lot of things altogether here at my point of reading...

Mark

Right on, sounds like you're diggin it. Hopefully it ends good too.

[Ash]

Hamilton is one of the best in his field, but his endings..... Not so great in my opinion. Hope he delivers

[Kazz Wylde]

Hamilton is one of the best in his field, but his endings..... Not so great in my opinion. Hope he delivers

I havent read him yet, I need to give Reality Dysfunction another shot, I dont think I was quite in the mood for that kind of scifi at the time. I know alotta people loved it.

[suciul]

I read about half of the Booker long-listed The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman; despite the name and being included on the Locus list of books of sf interest, the novel so far is crazy, zany and darkly funny historical fiction and it's excellent but not really sfnal, though it has some affinity true; not recommended to read it when drinking or eating as you may choke laughing; just for a taste here are the first lines of the novel to be included in an updated post of memorable first lines and so it goes, while those are quite tame compared to what follows:

"When you knock a bowl of sugar on to your host’s carpet, it is a parody of the avalanche that killed his mother and father, just as the duck’s beak that your new girlfriend’s lips form when she attempts a seductive pout is a quotation of the quacking noise your last girlfriend made during sex."

Anyway, I also just got the second Orthogonal novel, The Eternal Flame by Greg Egan and considering that Clockwork rocket was my top sff last year, this is a huge asap so will start once I am done with the Beauman novel and its hapless hero, Egon Loeser and his quest to bed Adele Hitler ("no relation"), his former fat teen pupil turned beauty queen and femme fatale in the Europe of the 1930's; have not laughed so much reading a book in a while...

And as an aside I've also read the fourth Turtledove War that came early installment, Coup d'Etat, and it was much better than the tepid third and it rekindled my interest in the series

[Hobbit]

OK: Wrestled that Peter Hamilton review into something shorter:

In summary, Great North Road is quite fun but too long and with some questionable choices made along the way. In the end, despite the negative points I’ve made, it’s more of a success than not, though I suspect some readers will bail out before things get interesting. Though in my opinion Peter should be encouraged to go to different worlds and universes from that of the Commonwealth, some of those ideas that must have seemed great at the time of writing are less so here in the finished book.

Is it a good place to start reading Peter? Well, it shows many of his key themes as a standalone novel. For me, sadly, the issues mentioned above may put initiates off further reading. Whilst some will love the quirky touches that I didn’t like, and the immersive experience the book can provide, others will be intimidated.

Recommended, but with caution: you have to be prepared to get through a lot to get something from this in the end.

Most weird: reading characters with names of people I know is quite bizarre: Chitman, I'm looking at you!

Mark

[Kazz Wylde]

This still sounds pretty good to me, Mark.

[Hobbit]

Oh, well, that's good, Kazz. I was worried that my negatives came across as too negative.

I can see bits that are very good, but it didn't all work for me. As I said in the review, as much as I like Peter's books, I have had issues with them along the way.

There's a lot to enjoy: and it might be a good place to start with Peter's novels (though Manhattan in Reverse, the recent short story collection is perhaps better IMO.) I just think that with a bit of tightening up it could have been better.

But I do know that a lot of Peter's readers buy his books for that immersion, in the same way that Neal Stephenson's do.

Mark

[Kazz Wylde]

Oh, well, that's good, Kazz. I was worried that my negatives came across as too negative.

I can see bits that are very good, but it didn't all work for me. As I said in the review, as much as I like Peter's books, I have had issues with them along the way.

There's a lot to enjoy: and it might be a good place to start with Peter's novels (though Manhattan in Reverse, the recent short story collection is perhaps better IMO.) I just think that with a bit of tightening up it could have been better.

But I do know that a lot of Peter's readers buy his books for that immersion, in the same way that Neal Stephenson's do.

Mark

Right on, Mark. I think hamilton is known for being long winded, but most his fans like his big ole doorstoppers. Like I said I need to give his Reality Dysfunction another shot, since I'm on this scifi kick here.

[chitman13]

Most weird: reading characters with names of people I know is quite bizarre: Chitman, I'm looking at you!

It is awesome to read about my namesake, but have to agree - rather weird!

I'm also on to GNR in earnest now after finishing some smaller stuff I had on the go. I'm around the 400 page mark at the moment, and expect things to pick up from here on out.