Just finished Starship Troopers. Verhoeven's film is great but aside from involving Bugs isn't true to the novel in any way. The actual book is short, doesn't involve a whole lot of action, and the "controversial" content isn't. Sure, it proposes a society where the only people that can vote are those who have "earned" the privilege, but hey, it's sci-fi, and if the author wanted to make a fake society where people are ranked by smell or something more power to 'em. I guess there was a lot of moral panic and cries of "fascism" during the 60s since if Troopers came out in this day and age no one would bat an eye (ex. Neal Asher's Polity novels' approach to capital punishment).
IIRC the screenplay for the movie was originally for a totally unrelated scifi film. They just slapped on the "Starship Troopers" name and made a few vague similarities for publicity.
The Starship Troopers movie is brilliant satire to the fascist manifesto that the book occasionally devolves into though.
I rather enjoy the book, but it does get pretty damn preachy at times.
So apparently while drunk late Friday night, I ordered a copy of Night Film by Marisha Pessl and then immediately forgot about it, just showed up today as a pleasant surprise. Looks interesting, can't wait to start it tonight.
Night Film seems decent so far, I'm totally digging the main mystery plot...
But the author has a super annoying writing style where in nearly every conversation, and frequently even in the narrator's thoughts, a character will have multiple words italicized for emphasis.
I think it was someone in thread who recommended Teresa Frohock. I've been reading her 'Los Nefilim' anthology of short novellae (novella's?), and it's really rather good. Set in the Spanish Civil War, which parallels a struggle between angels and demons, through their catspaws, the Nefilim.
It's got a lovely protagonist duo; a male pairing, with a child, in the thirties - it's unusual, but it works, and the relationship is beautifully portrayed.
Also there's angels, demons, and the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
Anyway, it's good stuff, and worth a look if you want something a bit different - so thanks to whichever of you recommended Frohock in the first place, really enjoying her work.
Night Film update: The aforementioned writing style still infuriates me, but it's been a long time since I've been so drawn into a mystery plot. Close to halfway through it, and so far I'd give it 3 stars as a novel, 5 if you just consider it as a story being told. We'll see how it goes.
God The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was such a disappointment. I didn't know it was possible for a book to be more libertarian than Atlas Shrugged, but there you go.
But surely you see it's totes rational and fair to literally deprive people of air if they can't get a job?
Disclaimer: blacklisting, racism, homophobia, etc aren't illegal because that would be government interference!
In fairness, I don't remember anything in the disclaimer being mentioned in the narrative, except insofar as the Authority might or might not be discriminating on that basis.
TBH I'm not sure I see the book as a individualist text, mostly because in order for that to work, they had to opt into the dictatorship of Mike
A supercomputer advanced enough to act as an entirely impartial governmental body
suggesting people are only able to act as if they are truly free when actually under the absolute authority of another.
But surely you see it's totes rational and fair to literally deprive people of air if they can't get a job?
Disclaimer: blacklisting, racism, homophobia, etc aren't illegal because that would be government interference!
In fairness, I don't remember anything in the disclaimer being mentioned in the narrative, except insofar as the Authority might or might not be discriminating on that basis.
TBH I'm not sure I see the book as a individualist text, mostly because in order for that to work, they had to opt into the dictatorship of Mike
A supercomputer advanced enough to act as an entirely impartial governmental body
suggesting people are only able to act as if they are truly free when actually under the absolute authority of another.
Nah, it more suggests like with most of these libertarian fantasies, the author couldn't square the circle of how this is all supposed to actually work without a bunch of hand-waving.
Took a punt on the first Flashman book, which is a series I've always avoided because the covers on the UK Harper Collins editions make it look like something I wouldn't enjoy.
It's actually pretty good. It's relatively unusual to encounter a character that is an irredeemable shit without being an antihero.
Took a punt on the first Flashman book, which is a series I've always avoided because the covers on the UK Harper Collins editions make it look like something I wouldn't enjoy.
It's actually pretty good. It's relatively unusual to encounter a character that is an irredeemable shit without being an antihero.
FWIW, although I didn't cover the period professionally, the historical research (as relates to the setting), where I looked into it, is extremely well done.
Took a punt on the first Flashman book, which is a series I've always avoided because the covers on the UK Harper Collins editions make it look like something I wouldn't enjoy.
It's actually pretty good. It's relatively unusual to encounter a character that is an irredeemable shit without being an antihero.
The Flashman books are fantastic. He is, as you say, not a very nice person at all in just about every way possible.
Those books got me interested in history. History is amazing and the Flashman books narrativise a pretty good chunk of the 19th century which is when many of the amazingest things happened.
EDIT: Note well - the series is pretty damb triggery. The protagonist has what can most gently called a very blithe view of sexual consent by modern standards. And race. And Imperialism. And casual violence. Don't read any of them if these are a problem for you.
The traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson is nice twisty turny little story.
It's whatever genre kj Parker's engineer trilogy is. Do you call it fantasy when there are no real fantastic elements?
The first half is wonderful with lots of strange attention to economics and their place in rebellion. Then it gets a bit lost in an uninteresting key change before a really solid ending.
There's some really nice use of language throughout, especially around various names with roots that have well chosen connection.
I presume there will be more in the same setting but really it doesn't need a follow up
For anybody who wants more too much detail on this book, the author has done five chapters of a read along where he dissects it a bit and points out some of the subtler bits you have have missed.
Among other things (woo holiday! Kinda woo, long train journeys!), tore through the Vorkosigan latest, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. It's a story of a complex relationship between two mature adults, really, letting themselves and their families figure out where they stand. There's a sci-do patina over it, but the narrative does it very well. A sedate, contemplative text after the more quirkily humorous Vorpatril...
There's a lot of complexity bubbling under the surface there, too. It's encouraged me to start a Vor re-read.
Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
A little while ago I read A deepness in the sky by Vernor Vinge and was pretty impressed
So I found out it was the second in a series and read the first which is called something like Fire into the deep (Vernor, you're bad at naming your books and I dont have it to hand to check). It was pretty good but nowhere near as good as the second one
Also calling it a series seems ambitious as basically they just potentially could share a setting and that is that.
I did enjoy the group minded aliens though. That was a neat concept
As I've already bought the third one (children of the sky? Maybe). I'll plough on, although the opening chapter was a bit weak. Still, he has nice ideas. This one is a direct sequel to the first.
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
A Fire Upon The Deep was pretty goddamb awesome. I mean that is space opera done right.
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Grudgeblessed is the mind too small for doubtRegistered Userregular
edited June 2016
I'm very fond of all three. Vinge has some very interesting ideas about aliens. The last one has a bit of an open ending too, so I'm hoping for a fourth book.
Took a punt on the first Flashman book, which is a series I've always avoided because the covers on the UK Harper Collins editions make it look like something I wouldn't enjoy.
It's actually pretty good. It's relatively unusual to encounter a character that is an irredeemable shit without being an antihero.
The Flashman books are fantastic. He is, as you say, not a very nice person at all in just about every way possible.
Those books got me interested in history. History is amazing and the Flashman books narrativise a pretty good chunk of the 19th century which is when many of the amazingest things happened.
EDIT: Note well - the series is pretty damb triggery. The protagonist has what can most gently called a very blithe view of sexual consent by modern standards. And race. And Imperialism. And casual violence. Don't read any of them if these are a problem for you.
Fun fact - Flashman is actually the adventures of the bully villain of Tom Brown's Schooldays (a 19th century boys school novel by a different author). It's entirely the story of what would happen if the worst person in a shitty private school went on to be the worst person in every other role he performs, and thus becomes wildly successful and famous.
You aren't meant to identify or sympathize with Flashman, at all. He's charming, but the entire series is a very dark look at the period and its hypocrisies.
Started up Prince of Thorns, and holy shit those are some evil bastards. The writing feels a bit cheesy in parts, but I'm digging it so far.
It's a great trilogy with a lot of depth. They go into a lot of the motivations and why some of those characters are evil bastards, it's not just to be edgy. It's neat.
My favorite part (major spoilers for the first book, minor spoilers for the third(?) book)
They know Latin better than English or Italian, since ancient writings preserved on stone were able to last into the post-apocalyptic future while most books have long since rotted away and they don't have the tech to access digital records. The head watchman of the post-apocalyptic Vatican is one of the few people who knows anything about his ancestor. He is proud that his ancestor was, like him, a watchman.
After all, the job title of his ancestor was "custodian", derived from the Latin custodio. He holds the ancient emblem of his ancestor's proud office--a mop.
Started up Prince of Thorns, and holy shit those are some evil bastards. The writing feels a bit cheesy in parts, but I'm digging it so far.
It's a great trilogy with a lot of depth. They go into a lot of the motivations and why some of those characters are evil bastards, it's not just to be edgy. It's neat.
My favorite part (major spoilers for the first book, minor spoilers for the third(?) book)
They know Latin better than English or Italian, since ancient writings preserved on stone were able to last into the post-apocalyptic future while most books have long since rotted away and they don't have the tech to access digital records. The head watchman of the post-apocalyptic Vatican is one of the few people who knows anything about his ancestor. He is proud that his ancestor was, like him, a watchman.
After all, the job title of his ancestor was "custodian", derived from the Latin custodio. He holds the ancient emblem of his ancestor's proud office--a mop.
What happens to the actual custodian they "wake" is one of the grimmer jokes in the series.
Phillishere on
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
I haven't read Children of the Sky. It's worth reading? Amazon reviews are pretty down on it as a follow up to the first two.
So far it's another step down compared to a deepness in the sky. Again it has interesting ideas though so I'm sticking with it
I'd agree with that. On its own, it's a decent - if oddly young adult in feel - book about a group of people living on a planet of Dickensian dogs. As a sequel to Fire, though, it's underwhelming.
I haven't read Children of the Sky. It's worth reading? Amazon reviews are pretty down on it as a follow up to the first two.
So far it's another step down compared to a deepness in the sky. Again it has interesting ideas though so I'm sticking with it
I'd agree with that. On its own, it's a decent - if oddly young adult in feel - book about a group of people living on a planet of Dickensian dogs. As a sequel to Fire, though, it's underwhelming.
I don't love the idea of Vinge relying again on the Tines, but at least they are one of the most interesting alien races I've read about.
What I liked so much about Fire(and didn't get in Deepness), as well as my recent reads of Aristoi and the Ancillary series, is the exploration of different kinds of minds and consciousness. Are there are books that anyone can recommend which would explore that topic?
PSN: Kurahoshi1
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lwt1973King of ThievesSyndicationRegistered Userregular
I finished Half a War. It was pretty good but not one of the best.
"He's sulking in his tent like Achilles! It's the Iliad?...from Homer?! READ A BOOK!!" -Handy
I haven't read Children of the Sky. It's worth reading? Amazon reviews are pretty down on it as a follow up to the first two.
So far it's another step down compared to a deepness in the sky. Again it has interesting ideas though so I'm sticking with it
I'd agree with that. On its own, it's a decent - if oddly young adult in feel - book about a group of people living on a planet of Dickensian dogs. As a sequel to Fire, though, it's underwhelming.
I don't love the idea of Vinge relying again on the Tines, but at least they are one of the most interesting alien races I've read about.
What I liked so much about Fire(and didn't get in Deepness), as well as my recent reads of Aristoi and the Ancillary series, is the exploration of different kinds of minds and consciousness. Are there are books that anyone can recommend which would explore that topic?
The Tines in the sequel felt more like the Spiders than the Tines in the original book to me. As for good explorations of different types of consciousness and what it means to be "alien", I'd say Left Hand of Darkness and Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow are my favorites.
I recently picked up a copy of Seveneves and Cryptonomicon at my local HPB and I'm trying to decide which one should be on the queue first. Any suggestions?
I haven't read Children of the Sky. It's worth reading? Amazon reviews are pretty down on it as a follow up to the first two.
So far it's another step down compared to a deepness in the sky. Again it has interesting ideas though so I'm sticking with it
I'd agree with that. On its own, it's a decent - if oddly young adult in feel - book about a group of people living on a planet of Dickensian dogs. As a sequel to Fire, though, it's underwhelming.
I don't love the idea of Vinge relying again on the Tines, but at least they are one of the most interesting alien races I've read about.
What I liked so much about Fire(and didn't get in Deepness), as well as my recent reads of Aristoi and the Ancillary series, is the exploration of different kinds of minds and consciousness. Are there are books that anyone can recommend which would explore that topic?
The Tines in the sequel felt more like the Spiders than the Tines in the original book to me. As for good explorations of different types of consciousness and what it means to be "alien", I'd say Left Hand of Darkness and Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow are my favorites.
I recently picked up a copy of Seveneves and Cryptonomicon at my local HPB and I'm trying to decide which one should be on the queue first. Any suggestions?
Cryptonomicon is way way better. Explains some slightly better than basics of crypto which everybody should know and even sorta kinda predicts bitcoin!
Seveneves is....I am a huge Stevenson fan and uh, maybe only read it if you really really like Cryptonomicon. Or love orbital mechanics I guess.
I recently picked up a copy of Seveneves and Cryptonomicon at my local HPB and I'm trying to decide which one should be on the queue first. Any suggestions?
Cryptonomicon is way way better. Explains some slightly better than basics of crypto which everybody should know and even sorta kinda predicts bitcoin!
Seveneves is....I am a huge Stevenson fan and uh, maybe only read it if you really really like Cryptonomicon. Or love orbital mechanics I guess.
I'm an aerospace engineer so I happen to love orbital mechanics :biggrin:
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
I recently picked up a copy of Seveneves and Cryptonomicon at my local HPB and I'm trying to decide which one should be on the queue first. Any suggestions?
Cryptonomicon is way way better. Explains some slightly better than basics of crypto which everybody should know and even sorta kinda predicts bitcoin!
Seveneves is....I am a huge Stevenson fan and uh, maybe only read it if you really really like Cryptonomicon. Or love orbital mechanics I guess.
I'm an aerospace engineer so I happen to love orbital mechanics :biggrin:
In that case, no matter what you choose, you shall win!
I love Cryptonomicon a lot, but being a student/degree holder in Early Modern History, my Stephenson heart belongs to The Baroque Cycle. Half-Cocked Jack Shaftoe is one of my favorite fictional characters ever.
No matter where you go...there you are. ~ Buckaroo Banzai
I haven't read Children of the Sky. It's worth reading? Amazon reviews are pretty down on it as a follow up to the first two.
So far it's another step down compared to a deepness in the sky. Again it has interesting ideas though so I'm sticking with it
I'd agree with that. On its own, it's a decent - if oddly young adult in feel - book about a group of people living on a planet of Dickensian dogs. As a sequel to Fire, though, it's underwhelming.
I don't love the idea of Vinge relying again on the Tines, but at least they are one of the most interesting alien races I've read about.
What I liked so much about Fire(and didn't get in Deepness), as well as my recent reads of Aristoi and the Ancillary series, is the exploration of different kinds of minds and consciousness. Are there are books that anyone can recommend which would explore that topic?
The Tines in the sequel felt more like the Spiders than the Tines in the original book to me. As for good explorations of different types of consciousness and what it means to be "alien", I'd say Left Hand of Darkness and Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow are my favorites.
Posts
The Starship Troopers movie is brilliant satire to the fascist manifesto that the book occasionally devolves into though.
I rather enjoy the book, but it does get pretty damn preachy at times.
But the author has a super annoying writing style where in nearly every conversation, and frequently even in the narrator's thoughts, a character will have multiple words italicized for emphasis.
It's got a lovely protagonist duo; a male pairing, with a child, in the thirties - it's unusual, but it works, and the relationship is beautifully portrayed.
Also there's angels, demons, and the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
Anyway, it's good stuff, and worth a look if you want something a bit different - so thanks to whichever of you recommended Frohock in the first place, really enjoying her work.
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
Is there a Heinlein novel (sans the juveniles) that isn't preachy?
Preaching is what he does.
Disclaimer: blacklisting, racism, homophobia, etc aren't illegal because that would be government interference!
In fairness, I don't remember anything in the disclaimer being mentioned in the narrative, except insofar as the Authority might or might not be discriminating on that basis.
TBH I'm not sure I see the book as a individualist text, mostly because in order for that to work, they had to opt into the dictatorship of Mike
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
Nah, it more suggests like with most of these libertarian fantasies, the author couldn't square the circle of how this is all supposed to actually work without a bunch of hand-waving.
It's actually pretty good. It's relatively unusual to encounter a character that is an irredeemable shit without being an antihero.
FWIW, although I didn't cover the period professionally, the historical research (as relates to the setting), where I looked into it, is extremely well done.
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
The Flashman books are fantastic. He is, as you say, not a very nice person at all in just about every way possible.
Those books got me interested in history. History is amazing and the Flashman books narrativise a pretty good chunk of the 19th century which is when many of the amazingest things happened.
EDIT: Note well - the series is pretty damb triggery. The protagonist has what can most gently called a very blithe view of sexual consent by modern standards. And race. And Imperialism. And casual violence. Don't read any of them if these are a problem for you.
For anybody who wants more too much detail on this book, the author has done five chapters of a read along where he dissects it a bit and points out some of the subtler bits you have have missed.
http://www.sethdickinson.com/2015/10/01/the-traitor-baru-cormorant-read-along-chapter-1/
There's a lot of complexity bubbling under the surface there, too. It's encouraged me to start a Vor re-read.
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
So I found out it was the second in a series and read the first which is called something like Fire into the deep (Vernor, you're bad at naming your books and I dont have it to hand to check). It was pretty good but nowhere near as good as the second one
Also calling it a series seems ambitious as basically they just potentially could share a setting and that is that.
I did enjoy the group minded aliens though. That was a neat concept
As I've already bought the third one (children of the sky? Maybe). I'll plough on, although the opening chapter was a bit weak. Still, he has nice ideas. This one is a direct sequel to the first.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Fun fact - Flashman is actually the adventures of the bully villain of Tom Brown's Schooldays (a 19th century boys school novel by a different author). It's entirely the story of what would happen if the worst person in a shitty private school went on to be the worst person in every other role he performs, and thus becomes wildly successful and famous.
You aren't meant to identify or sympathize with Flashman, at all. He's charming, but the entire series is a very dark look at the period and its hypocrisies.
I loved that series. It goes places!
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
It's a great trilogy with a lot of depth. They go into a lot of the motivations and why some of those characters are evil bastards, it's not just to be edgy. It's neat.
My favorite part (major spoilers for the first book, minor spoilers for the third(?) book)
After all, the job title of his ancestor was "custodian", derived from the Latin custodio. He holds the ancient emblem of his ancestor's proud office--a mop.
So far it's another step down compared to a deepness in the sky. Again it has interesting ideas though so I'm sticking with it
I'd agree with that. On its own, it's a decent - if oddly young adult in feel - book about a group of people living on a planet of Dickensian dogs. As a sequel to Fire, though, it's underwhelming.
I don't love the idea of Vinge relying again on the Tines, but at least they are one of the most interesting alien races I've read about.
What I liked so much about Fire(and didn't get in Deepness), as well as my recent reads of Aristoi and the Ancillary series, is the exploration of different kinds of minds and consciousness. Are there are books that anyone can recommend which would explore that topic?
The Tines in the sequel felt more like the Spiders than the Tines in the original book to me. As for good explorations of different types of consciousness and what it means to be "alien", I'd say Left Hand of Darkness and Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow are my favorites.
Peter Watt's Blindsight
Cryptonomicon is way way better. Explains some slightly better than basics of crypto which everybody should know and even sorta kinda predicts bitcoin!
Seveneves is....I am a huge Stevenson fan and uh, maybe only read it if you really really like Cryptonomicon. Or love orbital mechanics I guess.
I am bad because I forgot Embassytown and I feel bad.
I'm an aerospace engineer so I happen to love orbital mechanics :biggrin:
In that case, no matter what you choose, you shall win!
I love Cryptonomicon a lot, but being a student/degree holder in Early Modern History, my Stephenson heart belongs to The Baroque Cycle. Half-Cocked Jack Shaftoe is one of my favorite fictional characters ever.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
Need to give that a re-read soon. Only read it the one time.
The Mote in God's Eye.