Reading in February 2014

[Ropie]

I loved Jack Glass, liked By Light Alone quite a bit and thought Yellow Blue Tibia was OK!

Hehe, different books for different folks. I did enjoy the set up of the first part of Jack Glass but really didn't get on with the space-opera-whodunnit style of the next two thirds. And By Light Alone really set an atmosphere of complacent dread very well but just seemed directionless to me for much of the time. Good ending though. An undersea adventure with weird happenings does sound like a lot of fun, especially with Roberts' undoubted skill for very high quality prose and dialogue.

My copy of The Martian is on the way - good times ahead

 

[JonNichols]

This was the first book of Vonnegut's I read, 15 years ago or more. I've never liked anything else by him quite as much as I did this one - really struck a chord in me at the time.

I'm about halfway through it. I see what you mean. His disgust with the world really comes through...and that's not a bad thing.

 

[Westy]

I read Hugh Howey's latest Sand (commented in the dedicated thread), and thought it was good but not great. Had more potential that I felt wasn't explored.

 

[Hobbit]

Had Paul McAuley's Confluence arrive today: a rewritten omnibus of Child of the River, Ancients of Days and Shrine of Stars. A big book: 935 pages of quite smallish print. Read the first few pages, but really liked it so far - reminds me of Silverberg's Vance-esque Fantasy, Lord Valentine's Castle: it has a lot of the trappings of a Fantasy but seemingly set in some sort of decaying SF Empire, or somewhere away from the bustling galactic centre. There are people in rowing boats and on horses but also aliens and ancient blaster weapons.... not what I was expecting (but then, I'm not entirely sure of what I was expecting). Really enjoying it: hope it lasts!

M.

 

[starman03]

I'm about 50 pages into Delaney's Babel-17. At first I struggled a bit with the style, but I think that was more down to the fact that my last read was a crime novel with clipped and precise prose, as opposed to anything actually wrong with Delaney's style. As I said, into it now and it's been enjoyable so far and I'm interested as to how things are going to develop from here.

 

[Ropie]

Started TheMartian (typographically it seems to be all one word in the UK hb edition, so I hope that's right!) by Andy Weir. Lots of excitement around this book in these parts. So far it has not disappointed on the 'gripping tale of survival' front. The prose is workman-like but flows well and suits the sense of urgency. Enjoyment level is high

 

[Hobbit]

The prose is workman-like but flows well and suits the sense of urgency.

It's one that definitely builds, Ropie. I think I said what you said about the prose when I reviewed it, the first few pages were a little - well, not unpleasant, but perhaps unremarkable. I'm tempted to think that the writing is like that is because personally Watney was in shock (not to mentioned injured) and that the power was limited. As time goes on, it gets better. Pleased you're enjoying it, though.

M.

 

[Ropie]

I'm tempted to think that the writing is like that is because personally Watney was in shock (not to mentioned injured) and that the power was limited. As time goes on, it gets better.M.

I think you're absolutely right, Mark. The NASA guys even explain around p.85 (or so) that Watney was chosen for the original crew primarily because of his jocular nature and how he uses that to overcome difficult situations. So it makes sense that that side of his character would come to the fore in such horribly testing circumstances, through his short log entries. And, thankfully, a lot of it is genuinely amusing too!

 

[krisbslick]

Thanks to all the talk about it here, I picked up and finished The Martian in one sitting... it was an awesome ride. Had a lot of ideas from the Mars Direct platform meshed in there as well, which was a big plus (since I've been on this whole "we need to get out there" kick)! A lot of actual science turned into a riveting story.

I highly recommend this one!

 

[Hobbit]

Impressed you read it in one sitting, Kris - my days of doing that are long ago! - but very pleased you enjoyed it.

That makes two of us...

Still reading Child of the River: can't believe I ignored this one for a long time.... really enjoying it.

M.

 

[chitman13]

I read Meridian Days by Eric Brown over the weekend. I've read it before, but I wanted a quick and easy read as I'd been slacking over the past couple of weeks with getting reading time in. I enjoyed it again, and it's a typical Brown novel.

I then moved on to The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu and read it in just a day. Thoroughly enjoyable and the premise was interesting and executed very well. The prose was well suited to me and I found it a very easy read and completely unputdownable. I'll be moving on to the sequel, The Deaths of Tao, soon.

I'm also very close to finishing Judas Unchained by Peter F Hamilton...

 

[mylinar]

I bought 'The Temporal Void' by Peter F. Hamilton despite some reservations. The Barns & Noble store has a huge amount of space given over the likes of Card, Jordan and other well known commodities (I use that term intentionally). Many of the works I see people talking about and recommending are nowhere to be found on its shelves. Since I wanted a new work my options were limited.

So far it is ok, but no more. I am surprised the Psickhacker has not called this work fantasy like he dubbed the Hyperion books. There is so much unexplained science that it may as well be magic. Much is vaguly described more by what it does/can be used for than how or why it could exist. I find the sections about Edard more accessible than the main story sometimes.

 

[Westy]

I read Nexus by Ramez Naan last night, on recommendation from this thread from memory.

I thought it was good, but had a number of flaws to make it only good.

The premise was very interesting, about a near-future world where nanotech is rife and the latest version of "Nexus" has the potential to transform humans to a new level. The author also knows his stuff, having an experienced background in this field and computer science.

But I thought the writing was amateur to some degree (it was his first book), and the fast-paced action structure of the book got a bit much towards the end.

The first half or so of the book was quite good, but by the end I was looking forward to the next read.

 

[chitman13]

I bought 'The Temporal Void' by Peter F. Hamilton despite some reservations. The Barns & Noble store has a huge amount of space given over the likes of Card, Jordan and other well known commodities (I use that term intentionally). Many of the works I see people talking about and recommending are nowhere to be found on its shelves. Since I wanted a new work my options were limited.

So far it is ok, but no more. I am surprised the Psickhacker has not called this work fantasy like he dubbed the Hyperion books. There is so much unexplained science that it may as well be magic. Much is vaguly described more by what it does/can be used for than how or why it could exist. I find the sections about Edard more accessible than the main story sometimes.

Mylinar - have you read the first in this trilogy, The Dreaming Void? I do get what you mean about some of the stuff just being used rather than described, but when you get to further-future fiction how much can be described? A lot of the technology has its history in the earlier Commonwealth books (Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained), though set 1200 years later the Void books certainly ask you to suspend disbelief. Personally (and I'm biased because I'm a big Hamilton fan), I take these for what they are - entertaining science fiction, with emphasis on the fiction.

And speaking of these books, I started The Dreaming Void this morning after finishing Judas Unchained last night. JU finished better than I remember, and I enjoyed it. I've barely started DV, but hope to make good progress as this series is one of my favourites.

 

[mylinar]

Mylinar - have you read the first in this trilogy, The Dreaming Void? I do get what you mean about some of the stuff just being used rather than described, but when you get to further-future fiction how much can be described? A lot of the technology has its history in the earlier Commonwealth books (Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained), though set 1200 years later the Void books certainly ask you to suspend disbelief. Personally (and I'm biased because I'm a big Hamilton fan), I take these for what they are - entertaining science fiction, with emphasis on the fiction.

And speaking of these books, I started The Dreaming Void this morning after finishing Judas Unchained last night. JU finished better than I remember, and I enjoyed it. I've barely started DV, but hope to make good progress as this series is one of my favourites.

Yes, I read the Dreaming Void. I like Hamilton's writing style and the way he puts together a story (I've only read 1 and a third of his books) and I am not bothered by long reads. It just felt funny, and apparently I am not the only one, to be liking the simple fantasy novel curled up inside a hard as ferroconcrete SF container that is the overall story. In retrospect it probably would have been better if I read the earlier works, but when I was at the bookstore none of those were there. I also, mistakenly, thought with a 1,200 year gap between them they might as well be isolated stories. No matter though. I am liking the Temporal Void better than the previous volume.

 

[chitman13]

Yes, I read the Dreaming Void. I like Hamilton's writing style and the way he puts together a story (I've only read 1 and a third of his books) and I am not bothered by long reads. It just felt funny, and apparently I am not the only one, to be liking the simple fantasy novel curled up inside a hard as ferroconcrete SF container that is the overall story. In retrospect it probably would have been better if I read the earlier works, but when I was at the bookstore none of those were there. I also, mistakenly, thought with a 1,200 year gap between them they might as well be isolated stories. No matter though. I am liking the Temporal Void better than the previous volume.

I think Peter initially set out to write them as a trilogy that didn't require you read his previous Commonwealth novels, but there is a lot in the void stories that hark back to the Commonwealth Saga. And I also agree about Edeard's sections - definitely one of the highlights of the novels, particularly during Temporal. Peter's next novel is set back in the Void, and I'm pretty sure it'll be exclusively there without any Commonwealth sections, though whether it comes across as fantasy or sci-fi I have no clue yet!

 

[Ropie]

Thanks to all the talk about it here, I picked up and finished The Martian in one sitting... it was an awesome ride.

Wow! I didn't quite manage one sitting (maybe 8 or 9!) but it was definitely one of the best SF adventures I've read for quite a while. I can only agree with everyone else in that although in one sense it was a hard SF book with lots of data, math(s), physics, chemistry and biology, it was all so fascinatingly well explained that it was never anything less than a brilliant read. It did it's job perfectly well, but it was a bit of a one-way ride down a chute, with no deviation, no attempt at sophistication in the structure, no real characters other than Watney. That's not a criticism, just an observation, as I know that the urgency of the situation, and the realism, were the momentum that carried the narrative forward. I look forward to more from Andy Weir!

(***** out of 5 stars)

 

[privateidaho]

After reading a depending on how you look at it non genre book,The Last Ship by William BrinkleyI too was drawn to The Martian by Andy Weir

I read The Last Ship because I had read that a TV series on TNT was coming soon based on this book.As it turns out the series will at best be loosely connected to the book.You can find out about the series online easy enough.The book was written in the late cold war era and is about a missle destroyer and it's crew who are the last surviving ship after a nuclear war.It details their survival and the drama you might expect in this scenario.They have to find a place that hasn't been contaminated to continue to survive,there is a lot of character drama and study,and as you mi9ght expect a pretty heartbreaking depiction of the aftermath of a nuclear event especially on people who weren't immediately killed.Not a bad read especially as a period piece.

The author loves long descriptive sentences,the Captain is depicted as almost victorian in nature like an 18th or 19th century ship captain transported to modern times.The characters are well fleshed out but if you like quick to the point sequences in a book this might try your patience.

The The Martian...

A lot of praise has been aimed at this book and IMO it is well deserved.I defy you to not be emotionally moved by this book.No wonder it was optioned for something,a movie I think,before it was even published.

It is heavy into technogeek territory but I personally didn't have an issue with that.I don't think most genre readers would but people not so into sci-fi might find it tedious.

I loved how it was like experiencing an event like this is real time.You can literally imagine this being more or less exactly how something like this might go down.All of the characters have great dimension and flavor.I also think it's a perfect depiction of NASA mindset,including the bureaucratic element but also the can do,you can't stop us attitude.Plus this is how the world would react although I'm slightly more charitable toward China than the book is.

This book is a must read for anybody into this kind of thing.Oh by the way,I split the reading time thing,I took three days.

 

[odo]

I defy you to not be emotionally moved by this book.

I wasn't. I wasn't at all, provided extreme boredom and serious eyerolling doesn't count as "being moved"

But, on the other hand, the main protagonist of the book wasn't emotionally moved either. Not even by having lost everything. So if he wan't moved I guess I shouldn't worry about not being moved myself

You can find my detailed thoughts on this book or, more exactly, the part of the book I could stand before deciding to stop reading, in my review (it's in Spanish, though): http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/the-martian-de-andy-weir.html

 

[privateidaho]

I wasn't. I wasn't at all, provided extreme boredom and serious eyerolling doesn't count as "being moved"

But, on the other hand, the main protagonist of the book wasn't emotionally moved either. Not even by having lost everything. So if he wan't moved I guess I shouldn't worry about not being moved myself

You can find my detailed thoughts on this book or, more exactly, the part of the book I could stand before deciding to stop reading, in my review (it's in Spanish, though): http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/the-martian-de-andy-weir.html

We're all entitled to our own opinions.In this case most of them are not the same as yours.

And that's too bad but hey that's you not me,thankfully.

I don't know how old you are but I'm old enough to have been around and remember every NASA event since Apollo.Maybe that context makes this a more enjoyable read for me,and apparently a fair amount of others.

But ultimately it doesn't matter what you or I think.Sales and positive spin does.