Reading in June 2011

[Rob B]

I'm struggling with Overkill at the moment, it's just not doing anything for me. I think it's the first person narrative that isn't helping, but I'm going to try and continue.

A notch down from Buettner's previous books, then? I'll be reading this soon.

Last night, I started Embedded by Dan Abnett and I'm already halfway finished. Great pacing, nice narrative pull and interesting ideas, along with solid characters.

 

[NickeeCoco]

I've made some significant progress on Hull Zero Three today. At first I was not getting into it, but I fell into its rythm and just accepted it for what it was instead of trying to make it what I wanted. Then, suddenly, seemingly out of the blue,

Spoiler

he runs into other people, they get some facts straight and now they're in Hull 3,

causing the pace and feel of the book to shift pretty quickly. It was a jarring transition for me. It's taking me some time to get used to.

Also, I keep on comparing it to the Rama books. I know the situation isn't really the same, save for a small group of people on a ship they don't understand and trying to survive the best way they can. It's not a lot of similarity, but I keep on thinking it, which is ruining whatever effect Mr. Bear was going for, I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, I do find the story itself pretty compelling (Though there's some bits going on at the moment

Spoiler

(the Catalog bits)

that I'm just not digging. I think they're kinda hokey), and I really want to know what happens to Sanjay.

 

[Loerwyn]

I finished The Lost Fleet: Fearless last night.

It's better than Dauntless, but isn't faultless (See what I unintentionally did there?). Like Dauntless, it suffers from some shoddy editing and typesetting by Titan Books - punctuation sometimes goes missing, a few spaces disappear and occasionally ship names don't get italicised. Campbell was also a little sloppy in his writing. I'm sure I read the line "Captain Geary released a breath he didn't know he was holding." in that exact form at least three times. The characters were explored a lot more this time, especially the main three characters we see, and it added a new depth to the books, one that was perhaps needed.

Overall, Fearless is better than Dauntless, but not by much.

 

[Hobbit]

it suffers from some shoddy editing and typesetting by Titan Books - punctuation sometimes goes missing, a few spaces disappear and occasionally ship names don't get italicised.

You are assuming that Titan have re-edited and re-typeset: don't know the circumstances this time around, but it may be that they haven't, as these were aleady published in the US.

Mark

 

[Loerwyn]

That's true, but they could have at least proof read the flipping thing.

 

[Hobbit]

Ah, but to do that that costs money, and if they find the changes what are they going to do that doesn't cost? They're a relatively small company in the scheme of things.

But I understand that these things are annoying...

Mark

 

[Loerwyn]

I'm not sure adding a few speech marks will truly cost that much, Hobbit. The books seem to be doing quite well.

It's not something I'm going to throw the books away over, but I just wish that either they or the original publisher corrected it, because it just looks poor.

 

[chitman13]

A notch down from Buettner's previous books, then? I'll be reading this soon.

Not sure if Overkill is a notch down as I've not read all the Jason Wander books, but it drops you in a different environment on an alien planet and all you have for details is what the narrator gives you - in at the deep end. I like his writing though, I just need to bond with the story!

 

[Loerwyn]

Instead of starting a new book today, I'm being a glutton for punishment, and by that I mean I'm trying to continue with On Basilisk Station by David Weber. I'm on page 230 now, and if I'm completely honest about this, I haven't got a clue what's really happening. Well, my memory is kicking in as I go on, but I'm not sure who some people are and what part they've played. Starting again would be quite embarassing, as it'd be about the third or fourth time I've tried.

I'm being doubly stubborn over it because I want to finish it before I go onto The Honor of the Queen.

 

[n0ak]

Instead of starting a new book today, I'm being a glutton for punishment, and by that I mean I'm trying to continue with On Basilisk Station by David Weber. I'm on page 230 now, and if I'm completely honest about this, I haven't got a clue what's really happening. Well, my memory is kicking in as I go on, but I'm not sure who some people are and what part they've played. Starting again would be quite embarassing, as it'd be about the third or fourth time I've tried.

I'm being doubly stubborn over it because I want to finish it before I go onto The Honor of the Queen.

I've read three books of his Safehold series and he can be tedious at times.

Just finished The Dreaming Void and the dream side of things is turning out to be a lot of fun. Which is ironic since I hated it at first.

 

[Loerwyn]

I've read three books of his Safehold series and he can be tedious at times.

Just as rain can be wet?

Edit: I've had my lunch break and I actually managed to do about a quarter/third of what I have left to read in it (I'm now on page 279 out of 419). It's a very sluggish read, and I'm having to practically force myself through it, but it's just starting to click for me. The plot is making a bit more sense, the characters are within my grasp, and I'm honestly thinking I'll finally finish this book.

 

[n0ak]

Just as rain can be wet?

Edit: I've had my lunch break and I actually managed to do about a quarter/third of what I have left to read in it (I'm now on page 279 out of 419). It's a very sluggish read, and I'm having to practically force myself through it, but it's just starting to click for me. The plot is making a bit more sense, the characters are within my grasp, and I'm honestly thinking I'll finally finish this book.

Any reason why you are grinding your way through? Hoping for greener grass in the next book?

 

[chitman13]

I've had my lunch break and I actually managed to do about a quarter/third of what I have left to read in it (I'm now on page 279 out of 419). It's a very sluggish read, and I'm having to practically force myself through it, but it's just starting to click for me. The plot is making a bit more sense, the characters are within my grasp, and I'm honestly thinking I'll finally finish this book.

I really enjoyed On Basilisk Station, but I did read it in only a handful of sessions and everything just worked so well for me. The last part of the book really kicks up a gear and I had to read the last 100 or so pages straight through!

 

[Loerwyn]

Any reason why you are grinding your way through? Hoping for greener grass in the next book?

Yeah, I guess so. I have The Honor of the Queen on my shelf, and I've been trying to read On Basilisk Station for nearly a year, so finally getting it done would be great. I've also been on quite the sci-fi binge lately, and anything else on my shelf either didn't fit the criteria I have (i.e. It wasn't military sci-fi or space opera), was too big (Like Hamilton) or something else. This is just to hopefully keep me going until either The Lost Fleet: Courageous or Marque and Reprisal arrive. Thought I might as well try to finish On Basilisk Station. Once again.

 

[n0ak]

Yeah, I guess so. I have The Honor of the Queen on my shelf, and I've been trying to read On Basilisk Station for nearly a year, so finally getting it done would be great. I've also been on quite the sci-fi binge lately, and anything else on my shelf either didn't fit the criteria I have (i.e. It wasn't military sci-fi or space opera), was too big (Like Hamilton) or something else. This is just to hopefully keep me going until either The Lost Fleet: Courageous or Marque and Reprisal arrive. Thought I might as well try to finish On Basilisk Station. Once again.

Good luck.

After the last Safehold book I read I am hesitant to try anything else; Off Armageddon Reef was excellent though.

 

[nquixote]

Reading The Player of Games now.

People told me to try later Culture books after I was underwhelmed by Consider Phlebas. That was good advice. The Player of Games is just much, much better - a believable protagonist (and believable support characters), a narrative with a point, action that creates suspense, and careful thought given to the sci-fi world. And it's fun!

I will henceforth think of Consider Phlebas as just one of those early-career "writing exercise" novels, like Sundiver, Shards of Honor, or Tatja Grimm's World. Iain M. Banks is good after all.

 

[Loerwyn]

I did it. I finally did it. I finished On Basilisk Station last night!

It was really good for the last stretch, except for those few pages of pure technobabble, but everything before that (To me) was a somewhat confusing mess. It seems to me as if the plot never really came into being until about two-thirds of the way through, at which point it speeds to a resolution.

Some very good characters in it, though, but I've got the impression that the ending is almost a "reset" of the series before The Honor of the Queen, because most of the characters seem to... Uh... Depart.

 

[Ropie]

It's The Death of Grass by John Christopher for me this week. There was an excellent Radio 4 adaptation of this a couple of years back, with David Mitchell!

 

[Erfael]

I've started in on David Brin's The Practice Effect...about a quarter of the way in and so far it's interesting. Not sure where we're headed with it yet, but it reads very smoothly. Really, really ugly cover art, though...

That's the biggest one I can find.

 

[livens]

I've started in on David Brin's The Practice Effect...about a quarter of the way in and so far it's interesting. Not sure where we're headed with it yet, but it reads very smoothly. Really, really ugly cover art, though...

That's the biggest one I can find.

I read that awhile back. I too found it interesting and very easy to read, hes a good writer

However I did have some major issues with the physics of everything. I know authors make up stuff all the time, but Brin went a little heavy with it on this one.

You should see the cover on mine (i couldn't get the image to embed here so I posted the link to the flikr page) :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdrummbks/3996822424/