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[Book] Thread 20XXAD

17677798182100

Posts

  • m!ttensm!ttens he/himRegistered User regular
    I finished Children of Time a week or two ago. Took forever as it was my "read in bed with the lights out until I fall asleep and then have to reread a page or two the next day to figure out what I skimmed over as I was drowsing" Kindle book. It was really good and imaginative and the
    spiders
    were creepy and alien but also "human" enough to sort-of-but-not-really relate to.

    Question about spoilered thing above:
    Was there any reason to keep re-using the names Portia, Bianca, Fabian other than to keep a thread of continuity over several thousand years? Does it have to do with the way Understandings are basically data bio-downloads directly into the brain?

  • chrono_travellerchrono_traveller Registered User regular
    m!ttens wrote: »
    I finished Children of Time a week or two ago. Took forever as it was my "read in bed with the lights out until I fall asleep and then have to reread a page or two the next day to figure out what I skimmed over as I was drowsing" Kindle book. It was really good and imaginative and the
    spiders
    were creepy and alien but also "human" enough to sort-of-but-not-really relate to.

    Question about spoilered thing above:
    Was there any reason to keep re-using the names Portia, Bianca, Fabian other than to keep a thread of continuity over several thousand years? Does it have to do with the way Understandings are basically data bio-downloads directly into the brain?

    I think it was mostly just a reader/continuity thing:
    I think it would have been harder to pick up the themes with the spiders, if every time there was a time jump we (as the reader) had to learn new names for the spiders. It was a nice shorthand for "the forward thinking one", "the conservative one", "the downtrodden one", etc. I don't think there was a particular Understandings based reason. Though you could argue even that with people its that way, parents pick names of people that represent qualities that they want their children to have.

    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. ~ Terry Pratchett
  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    Children of Time
    I got the feeling the names were reused in an effort to show the very direct line of thoughts that occurred when thoughts and memories are capable of being passed down in that way.

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed



    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    A lot of what makes the Austen novels work is the historical backdrop of a world where women could not own or inherit property, so not getting a good "match" meant, at best, being a ward of a distant relative and, at worst, homeless and starving. They aren't just light romances, and I'm not sure how a modern update can capture that aspect.

  • So It GoesSo It Goes We keep moving...Registered User regular
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed



    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    A lot of what makes the Austen novels work is the historical backdrop of a world where women could not own or inherit property, so not getting a good "match" meant, at best, being a ward of a distant relative and, at worst, homeless and starving. They aren't just light romances, and I'm not sure how a modern update can capture that aspect.

    I don't think that's what make the Austen novels work, at all. I'm enjoying Pride so far. She sets up the hood as the backdrop, and it's working just fine for the YA romance and family drama going on.

  • NebulousQNebulousQ Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed

    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and response by the author. (I didn't read the thread beyond the author's initial response.)

    I have no context for the book, author or reviewer as I have not read the book nor heard of either the author or reviewer. So I might be missing something, however at first pass nothing in the review struck me as "revealing the reviewers' marrow deep bigotry". In addition, the reviewers callout of "literary formality" and "classical narrative tact" likely highlights her snootiness, perhaps even a presumed "intellectual superiority", and that she is missing the point, but the authors snipe back: "colonial to white supremacist" seems to inject racial prejudice into the review that does not seem to be there to me. The reviewers use of "Afro-Caribbean" instead of "Afro-Latin" is problematic, but I don't see how that tips the review into the racially charged interpretation/response that the author gives.

    I mostly agree with N.K Jemisin. Widely read, reviewers from diverse backgrounds, who recognize their lack of lived experiences is a great thing. However, I think that analysis of works written in, from, or for a different lived experience than your own can also be a good thing. Providing an outside perspective and reaction can help grow understanding, challenge worldviews, foster communication, and often times just providing a differing perspective is beneficial in itself.

    That is why I would like to ask what others here think. Many here have a different lived experience and most have a very different perspective than my own and I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and authors response.

    NebulousQ on
  • credeikicredeiki Registered User regular
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which I can't remember what the consensus was on

    It was fairly good but there's a lingering sense that you're reading firefly fan fiction.

    Most people think it's a really warm and cozy read. Only person I recall not liking it was Kana and I can't 100% remember why.

    It does feel like fan fiction, but not, I think, because it is Firefly adjacent--it's because it is basically a series of cute character-illuminating vignettes without much of a plot structure, and most published fiction simply doesn't do that. Fan fiction, however, is often about how much we like characters, and can dwell on insignificant moments without plot development, and I think it's that feeling that you get in The Long Way to a Small, Angry, Planet. I quite like it.

    Steam, LoL: credeiki
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    credeiki wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which I can't remember what the consensus was on

    It was fairly good but there's a lingering sense that you're reading firefly fan fiction.

    Most people think it's a really warm and cozy read. Only person I recall not liking it was Kana and I can't 100% remember why.

    It does feel like fan fiction, but not, I think, because it is Firefly adjacent--it's because it is basically a series of cute character-illuminating vignettes without much of a plot structure, and most published fiction simply doesn't do that. Fan fiction, however, is often about how much we like characters, and can dwell on insignificant moments without plot development, and I think it's that feeling that you get in The Long Way to a Small, Angry, Planet. I quite like it.

    I think it gets overlooked how subversive Chambers books are within the genre. I can think of very few science fiction series that featured "civilian" characters who never pick up a gun, become a fighter pilot, or otherwise become action heroes at some point in the story, but Chambers very explicitly writes books about normal people in her SF universe.

    Like, it is a Firefly fanfic only in the sense that it is story about a crew on a spaceship who largely get along and are kind of quirky. But the crew are professionals, not criminals, and respond to violence with fear and submission because they are not trained soldiers or outlaws.

  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    NebulousQ wrote: »
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed

    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and response by the author. (I didn't read the thread beyond the author's initial response.)

    I have no context for the book, author or reviewer as I have not read the book nor heard of either the author or reviewer. So I might be missing something, however at first pass nothing in the review struck me as "revealing the reviewers' marrow deep bigotry". In addition, the reviewers callout of "literary formality" and "classical narrative tact" likely highlights her snootiness, perhaps even a presumed "intellectual superiority", and that she is missing the point, but the authors snipe back: "colonial to white supremacist" seems to inject racial prejudice into the review that does not seem to be there to me. The reviewers use of "Afro-Caribbean" instead of "Afro-Latin" is problematic, but I don't see how that tips the review into the racially charged interpretation/response that the author gives.

    I mostly agree with N.K Jemisin. Widely read, reviewers from diverse backgrounds, who recognize their lack of lived experiences is a great thing. However, I think that analysis of works written in, from, or for a different lived experience than your own can also be a good thing. Providing an outside perspective and reaction can help grow understanding, challenge worldviews, foster communication, and often times just providing a differing perspective is beneficial in itself.

    That is why I would like to ask what others here think. Many here have a different lived experience and most have a very different perspective than my own and I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and authors response.

    I'd never heard the idea that the term Afro-Caribbean is racist and, from some Googling and JSTORing, learned that Afro-Latina in reference to Haitians is a term advocated by those who wish to stress the historical and cultural commonalities between Haitians and the rest of Latin America. It is also not universally excepted among Haitians, many of whom reject it because it does not acknowledged the cultural ties between Haitians, Jamaicans, and other Caribbean Africans who do not share a common Latin cultural heritage. I also saw one Haitian author who had issues with the way advocates of the term stress that French culture (and by extension the white French) are Latinos because French is historically a Latin language as a way to include Haiti in the Latin world.

  • So It GoesSo It Goes We keep moving...Registered User regular
    NebulousQ wrote: »
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed

    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and response by the author. (I didn't read the thread beyond the author's initial response.)

    I have no context for the book, author or reviewer as I have not read the book nor heard of either the author or reviewer. So I might be missing something, however at first pass nothing in the review struck me as "revealing the reviewers' marrow deep bigotry". In addition, the reviewers callout of "literary formality" and "classical narrative tact" likely highlights her snootiness, perhaps even a presumed "intellectual superiority", and that she is missing the point, but the authors snipe back: "colonial to white supremacist" seems to inject racial prejudice into the review that does not seem to be there to me. The reviewers use of "Afro-Caribbean" instead of "Afro-Latin" is problematic, but I don't see how that tips the review into the racially charged interpretation/response that the author gives.

    I mostly agree with N.K Jemisin. Widely read, reviewers from diverse backgrounds, who recognize their lack of lived experiences is a great thing. However, I think that analysis of works written in, from, or for a different lived experience than your own can also be a good thing. Providing an outside perspective and reaction can help grow understanding, challenge worldviews, foster communication, and often times just providing a differing perspective is beneficial in itself.

    That is why I would like to ask what others here think. Many here have a different lived experience and most have a very different perspective than my own and I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and authors response.

    I think the review is shit and the author's response is spot on.

  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    credeiki wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which I can't remember what the consensus was on

    It was fairly good but there's a lingering sense that you're reading firefly fan fiction.

    Most people think it's a really warm and cozy read. Only person I recall not liking it was Kana and I can't 100% remember why.

    It does feel like fan fiction, but not, I think, because it is Firefly adjacent--it's because it is basically a series of cute character-illuminating vignettes without much of a plot structure, and most published fiction simply doesn't do that. Fan fiction, however, is often about how much we like characters, and can dwell on insignificant moments without plot development, and I think it's that feeling that you get in The Long Way to a Small, Angry, Planet. I quite like it.

    I think it gets overlooked how subversive Chambers books are within the genre. I can think of very few science fiction series that featured "civilian" characters who never pick up a gun, become a fighter pilot, or otherwise become action heroes at some point in the story, but Chambers very explicitly writes books about normal people in her SF universe.

    Like, it is a Firefly fanfic only in the sense that it is story about a crew on a spaceship who largely get along and are kind of quirky. But the crew are professionals, not criminals, and respond to violence with fear and submission because they are not trained soldiers or outlaws.

    That’s definitely why I enjoyed it. No epic story, no galaxy ending consequences, humans aren’t the center of the universe, just the tale about a crew on a long haul trip. It still explores sci-fi themes while doing so and has an exciting ending that’s much more appropriate in scale.

  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Quid wrote: »
    credeiki wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which I can't remember what the consensus was on

    It was fairly good but there's a lingering sense that you're reading firefly fan fiction.

    Most people think it's a really warm and cozy read. Only person I recall not liking it was Kana and I can't 100% remember why.

    It does feel like fan fiction, but not, I think, because it is Firefly adjacent--it's because it is basically a series of cute character-illuminating vignettes without much of a plot structure, and most published fiction simply doesn't do that. Fan fiction, however, is often about how much we like characters, and can dwell on insignificant moments without plot development, and I think it's that feeling that you get in The Long Way to a Small, Angry, Planet. I quite like it.

    I think it gets overlooked how subversive Chambers books are within the genre. I can think of very few science fiction series that featured "civilian" characters who never pick up a gun, become a fighter pilot, or otherwise become action heroes at some point in the story, but Chambers very explicitly writes books about normal people in her SF universe.

    Like, it is a Firefly fanfic only in the sense that it is story about a crew on a spaceship who largely get along and are kind of quirky. But the crew are professionals, not criminals, and respond to violence with fear and submission because they are not trained soldiers or outlaws.

    That’s definitely why I enjoyed it. No epic story, no galaxy ending consequences, humans aren’t the center of the universe, just the tale about a crew on a long haul trip. It still explores sci-fi themes while doing so and has an exciting ending that’s much more appropriate in scale.

    Yea one of the biggest things I liked about LWTASAP was that by the end I actually wanted to be friends with these people. A lot of protagonists are really cool in stories, but I can't see how they would function as real people outside of the adventure. With the crew of the Wayfarer they seem like more well rounded real people.

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • jakobaggerjakobagger LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED Registered User regular
    I don't remember where I heard of it (possibly this thread, since this is like, 80% at least of my book discovery process) but I just finished the Golem and the Jinni, and I would just like to say that it was very good.

  • BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    So To The Is-Land is very good. As good a rendering of someone's childhood as I've ever read.

  • N1tSt4lkerN1tSt4lker Registered User regular
    NebulousQ wrote: »
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed

    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and response by the author. (I didn't read the thread beyond the author's initial response.)

    I have no context for the book, author or reviewer as I have not read the book nor heard of either the author or reviewer. So I might be missing something, however at first pass nothing in the review struck me as "revealing the reviewers' marrow deep bigotry". In addition, the reviewers callout of "literary formality" and "classical narrative tact" likely highlights her snootiness, perhaps even a presumed "intellectual superiority", and that she is missing the point, but the authors snipe back: "colonial to white supremacist" seems to inject racial prejudice into the review that does not seem to be there to me. The reviewers use of "Afro-Caribbean" instead of "Afro-Latin" is problematic, but I don't see how that tips the review into the racially charged interpretation/response that the author gives.

    I mostly agree with N.K Jemisin. Widely read, reviewers from diverse backgrounds, who recognize their lack of lived experiences is a great thing. However, I think that analysis of works written in, from, or for a different lived experience than your own can also be a good thing. Providing an outside perspective and reaction can help grow understanding, challenge worldviews, foster communication, and often times just providing a differing perspective is beneficial in itself.

    That is why I would like to ask what others here think. Many here have a different lived experience and most have a very different perspective than my own and I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and authors response.

    I'd never heard the idea that the term Afro-Caribbean is racist and, from some Googling and JSTORing, learned that Afro-Latina in reference to Haitians is a term advocated by those who wish to stress the historical and cultural commonalities between Haitians and the rest of Latin America. It is also not universally excepted among Haitians, many of whom reject it because it does not acknowledged the cultural ties between Haitians, Jamaicans, and other Caribbean Africans who do not share a common Latin cultural heritage. I also saw one Haitian author who had issues with the way advocates of the term stress that French culture (and by extension the white French) are Latinos because French is historically a Latin language as a way to include Haiti in the Latin world.

    I got the feeling more that the author criticized the reviewer's use of Afro-Caribbean because the characters of the book are referred to solely as Afro-Latin, including on the book flat itself, so to use Afro-Caribbean actively ignores the author's choice of descriptor to substitute a different descriptor. It's at best patronizing and at worst insulting, inferring that the reviewer either doesn't care enough to use the author's terms or thinks she knows better than the author. Which, given her snooty tone elsewhere and reference to "classical narrative tact" (what even), I'm going to go with the latter. So my impression is less that the term itself is innately racist and more that this use is passively racist to the author.

  • MahnmutMahnmut Registered User regular
    N1tSt4lker wrote: »
    NebulousQ wrote: »
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed

    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and response by the author. (I didn't read the thread beyond the author's initial response.)

    I have no context for the book, author or reviewer as I have not read the book nor heard of either the author or reviewer. So I might be missing something, however at first pass nothing in the review struck me as "revealing the reviewers' marrow deep bigotry". In addition, the reviewers callout of "literary formality" and "classical narrative tact" likely highlights her snootiness, perhaps even a presumed "intellectual superiority", and that she is missing the point, but the authors snipe back: "colonial to white supremacist" seems to inject racial prejudice into the review that does not seem to be there to me. The reviewers use of "Afro-Caribbean" instead of "Afro-Latin" is problematic, but I don't see how that tips the review into the racially charged interpretation/response that the author gives.

    I mostly agree with N.K Jemisin. Widely read, reviewers from diverse backgrounds, who recognize their lack of lived experiences is a great thing. However, I think that analysis of works written in, from, or for a different lived experience than your own can also be a good thing. Providing an outside perspective and reaction can help grow understanding, challenge worldviews, foster communication, and often times just providing a differing perspective is beneficial in itself.

    That is why I would like to ask what others here think. Many here have a different lived experience and most have a very different perspective than my own and I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and authors response.

    I'd never heard the idea that the term Afro-Caribbean is racist and, from some Googling and JSTORing, learned that Afro-Latina in reference to Haitians is a term advocated by those who wish to stress the historical and cultural commonalities between Haitians and the rest of Latin America. It is also not universally excepted among Haitians, many of whom reject it because it does not acknowledged the cultural ties between Haitians, Jamaicans, and other Caribbean Africans who do not share a common Latin cultural heritage. I also saw one Haitian author who had issues with the way advocates of the term stress that French culture (and by extension the white French) are Latinos because French is historically a Latin language as a way to include Haiti in the Latin world.

    I got the feeling more that the author criticized the reviewer's use of Afro-Caribbean because the characters of the book are referred to solely as Afro-Latin, including on the book flat itself, so to use Afro-Caribbean actively ignores the author's choice of descriptor to substitute a different descriptor. It's at best patronizing and at worst insulting, inferring that the reviewer either doesn't care enough to use the author's terms or thinks she knows better than the author. Which, given her snooty tone elsewhere and reference to "classical narrative tact" (what even), I'm going to go with the latter. So my impression is less that the term itself is innately racist and more that this use is passively racist to the author.

    Ya, exactly this on that.

    I also don't think you can meaningfully disentangle the "snootiness" from race in this instance.

    Steam/LoL: Jericho89
  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    N1tSt4lker wrote: »
    NebulousQ wrote: »
    So It Goes wrote: »
    This popped up on my feed

    Worth checking out the thread

    Also now I'm gonna read Pride, a YA P+P remix featuring characters of color

    I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and response by the author. (I didn't read the thread beyond the author's initial response.)

    I have no context for the book, author or reviewer as I have not read the book nor heard of either the author or reviewer. So I might be missing something, however at first pass nothing in the review struck me as "revealing the reviewers' marrow deep bigotry". In addition, the reviewers callout of "literary formality" and "classical narrative tact" likely highlights her snootiness, perhaps even a presumed "intellectual superiority", and that she is missing the point, but the authors snipe back: "colonial to white supremacist" seems to inject racial prejudice into the review that does not seem to be there to me. The reviewers use of "Afro-Caribbean" instead of "Afro-Latin" is problematic, but I don't see how that tips the review into the racially charged interpretation/response that the author gives.

    I mostly agree with N.K Jemisin. Widely read, reviewers from diverse backgrounds, who recognize their lack of lived experiences is a great thing. However, I think that analysis of works written in, from, or for a different lived experience than your own can also be a good thing. Providing an outside perspective and reaction can help grow understanding, challenge worldviews, foster communication, and often times just providing a differing perspective is beneficial in itself.

    That is why I would like to ask what others here think. Many here have a different lived experience and most have a very different perspective than my own and I would like to hear your thoughts on the review and authors response.

    I'd never heard the idea that the term Afro-Caribbean is racist and, from some Googling and JSTORing, learned that Afro-Latina in reference to Haitians is a term advocated by those who wish to stress the historical and cultural commonalities between Haitians and the rest of Latin America. It is also not universally excepted among Haitians, many of whom reject it because it does not acknowledged the cultural ties between Haitians, Jamaicans, and other Caribbean Africans who do not share a common Latin cultural heritage. I also saw one Haitian author who had issues with the way advocates of the term stress that French culture (and by extension the white French) are Latinos because French is historically a Latin language as a way to include Haiti in the Latin world.

    I got the feeling more that the author criticized the reviewer's use of Afro-Caribbean because the characters of the book are referred to solely as Afro-Latin, including on the book flat itself, so to use Afro-Caribbean actively ignores the author's choice of descriptor to substitute a different descriptor. It's at best patronizing and at worst insulting, inferring that the reviewer either doesn't care enough to use the author's terms or thinks she knows better than the author. Which, given her snooty tone elsewhere and reference to "classical narrative tact" (what even), I'm going to go with the latter. So my impression is less that the term itself is innately racist and more that this use is passively racist to the author.

    Yeah, I'd never even heard this term before and assumed it meant something like "people from non-caribbean latin america of african descent" or something. In which case it seemed a bit nitpicky. But when looking it up you just keep running into the book using the term, in which case like, why are you not just going with the description used there?

  • flamebroiledchickenflamebroiledchicken Registered User regular
    In general, I don't think artists should read their own reviews, much less comment on them. It almost never makes you look good.

    In this specific instance, I think the reviewer is, if not outright racist, at least willfully ignorant of the author's intentions in transposing P&P to a different context and audience. But I still don't think the author should have gotten into it. Maybe that's just me.

    y59kydgzuja4.png
  • So It GoesSo It Goes We keep moving...Registered User regular
    She remarks that she understands that dynamic and typically does not respond to reviews. This one was bad enough (note she says the reviewer has a history of this type of stuff) that she felt she needed to speak up.

    I'm fine with it.

  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    knitdan wrote: »
    Quid please let us know what you think once you’ve finished Republic of Thieves.

    Halfway through and outlook not good.

  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    So It Goes wrote: »
    She remarks that she understands that dynamic and typically does not respond to reviews. This one was bad enough (note she says the reviewer has a history of this type of stuff) that she felt she needed to speak up.

    I'm fine with it.

    Yeah, most of the time it's one of those "wrestle a pig, get dirty" situations for an author. Especially with reviews from less high profile places like fan-sites and the like.

    But that doesn't mean a lot of reviews don't deserve to be called out for being complete bullshit in one way or another. It's just usually you gotta rely on your fans to do it for you.

    Considering some of the issues with the review and the publication it's in though, I think she can get away with it.

  • CroakerBCCroakerBC TorontoRegistered User regular
    FYI, stayed up late (too late) to finish Sanderson’s upcoming sci-fi, ‘Skyward’. It’s good! Not a doorstop, narratively tight, hits some emotional beats that I felt in my gut. Not as mechanistic as some of his other work and, I think, better for it. Some really solid worldbuilding and emotive, precise characterisation.

    And also space fighter combat and explosions. Lots of that.

    Keep an eye out for this one.

  • DoodmannDoodmann Registered User regular
    Yeah but how is the world building?

    Oh dammit, you said world building. My joke is ruined.

    Whippy wrote: »
    nope nope nope nope abort abort talk about anime
    Sometimes I sell my stuff on Ebay
  • KreutzKreutz Blackwater Park, IARegistered User regular
    What physical phenomena did he base the magic system on?

  • CroakerBCCroakerBC TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited September 2018
    Kreutz wrote: »
    What physical phenomena did he base the magic system on?

    Well, it’s sci-if so mostly there isn’t one.
    Well, nothing weirder than any other space opera. There’s some unexplained weirdness which gets clearer over the course of the book, which MAY may to a scientific explanation, but I was fine without one in the context of what was known by the actors in the story

    Honestly the lack of an elaborate magic-system-wank every few pages made the writing flow so much better for me.
    (TBF I’ve enjoyed his Stormlight stuff but this is so much more tightly focused, and feels - to me - a lot better for it)

    CroakerBC on
  • credeikicredeiki Registered User regular
    I just finished Radiance, by Cathrynne Valente. It's a non-linearly structured, extremely well-written novel taking place in a ~1930s hollywood glamour interplanetary setting. It deals with themes of observation, story-telling, and narrative; overall it's the story of the daughter of a film-maker. Chapters are scripts/film reels/diaries/interview transcripts, some explicitly fiction within fiction. The descriptions are opulent, full of color, texture, smell; she creates distinctive set dressing for each planet in the solar system. There's a bit of an Area X vibe to the latter half of the book which is well done; however, the ending is a lot tidier, which makes sense in the context of a story about creating stories. The filmmaking stuff reminded me a bit of Infinite Jest. The B plot about an ingenue going to the moon and becoming an actress and who she grows up to be was especially pleasing, and contributed a lot in a lateral sort of way, both to further solidify the setting and to get a sort of detective theme in.

    It got a bit of a slow start, and 100 pages in I was like, well, this is obviously well-written, but I'm not into movies or anything so eh, I mean, I guess I'll finish it--but then as the book continues to build in its nonlinear way, I found myself more and more invested and interested until the ending, which was very satisfying. I suspected after Deathless that this author, Valente, is inherently trustworthy and probably everything she writes is going to be of high quality, and I wasn't disappointed. I'll have to read some of her other books next! She's clearly very versatile in terms of setting and structure.

    Steam, LoL: credeiki
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    credeiki wrote: »
    I just finished Radiance, by Cathrynne Valente. It's a non-linearly structured, extremely well-written novel taking place in a ~1930s hollywood glamour interplanetary setting. It deals with themes of observation, story-telling, and narrative; overall it's the story of the daughter of a film-maker. Chapters are scripts/film reels/diaries/interview transcripts, some explicitly fiction within fiction. The descriptions are opulent, full of color, texture, smell; she creates distinctive set dressing for each planet in the solar system. There's a bit of an Area X vibe to the latter half of the book which is well done; however, the ending is a lot tidier, which makes sense in the context of a story about creating stories. The filmmaking stuff reminded me a bit of Infinite Jest. The B plot about an ingenue going to the moon and becoming an actress and who she grows up to be was especially pleasing, and contributed a lot in a lateral sort of way, both to further solidify the setting and to get a sort of detective theme in.

    It got a bit of a slow start, and 100 pages in I was like, well, this is obviously well-written, but I'm not into movies or anything so eh, I mean, I guess I'll finish it--but then as the book continues to build in its nonlinear way, I found myself more and more invested and interested until the ending, which was very satisfying. I suspected after Deathless that this author, Valente, is inherently trustworthy and probably everything she writes is going to be of high quality, and I wasn't disappointed. I'll have to read some of her other books next! She's clearly very versatile in terms of setting and structure.

    I need to give it a try. I grew increasingly annoyed at both only seeing the stories at angle, and the fact that the narrative voices showing me the story were made up of too many various flavors of tedious and shitty people.

  • HyphyKezzyHyphyKezzy The Best On MarsRegistered User regular
    credeiki wrote: »
    I just finished Radiance, by Cathrynne Valente. It's a non-linearly structured, extremely well-written novel taking place in a ~1930s hollywood glamour interplanetary setting. It deals with themes of observation, story-telling, and narrative; overall it's the story of the daughter of a film-maker. Chapters are scripts/film reels/diaries/interview transcripts, some explicitly fiction within fiction. The descriptions are opulent, full of color, texture, smell; she creates distinctive set dressing for each planet in the solar system. There's a bit of an Area X vibe to the latter half of the book which is well done; however, the ending is a lot tidier, which makes sense in the context of a story about creating stories. The filmmaking stuff reminded me a bit of Infinite Jest. The B plot about an ingenue going to the moon and becoming an actress and who she grows up to be was especially pleasing, and contributed a lot in a lateral sort of way, both to further solidify the setting and to get a sort of detective theme in.

    It got a bit of a slow start, and 100 pages in I was like, well, this is obviously well-written, but I'm not into movies or anything so eh, I mean, I guess I'll finish it--but then as the book continues to build in its nonlinear way, I found myself more and more invested and interested until the ending, which was very satisfying. I suspected after Deathless that this author, Valente, is inherently trustworthy and probably everything she writes is going to be of high quality, and I wasn't disappointed. I'll have to read some of her other books next! She's clearly very versatile in terms of setting and structure.

    I went on a pretty big Valente run last year and pretty much enjoyed all of it. Especially highly recommend her The Orphan's Tales duology. It's got this Arabian Nights style structure and it's super impressive how she goes down that story within story hole and then back out again and brings it all together. If you're down with children's books her Fairyland series is also an absolute joy.

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  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited September 2018
    I'm still reading Republic and like Credeiki says the interludes are the more enjoyable part and I think I know why. These aren't super major spoilers but just in case
    While luck always plays a part in the Bastards' stories it's usually bad luck. They make a plan, the plan goes awry, but they squeeze through with a better than worst case scenario with added experience.

    This book however starts off with a deus ex machina saving Locke. This wouldn't have bugged me in theory but it's literally one third of the book spent of him not quite dying and you knowing he'll be saved because you read the synopsis on the back. One third of the book dedicated to not them figuring out some way to get the best physiker to save Locke but instead for nothing to be achieved until a literal wizard shows up and does it.

    Next there's the ship they're kidnapped on that should by all reasoning be inescapable. So they hope for the good luck of a storm and get it. I appreciate the thought put in to their plan but it still relies on sheer happenstance to work.

    I've described the books to friends like fantasy Italy Leverage without the happy coincidences but this latest one feels heavier on the happy coincidences.

    Quid on
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Earlier I wrote about Camp So-And-So the aggressively bizarre YA novel set at a summer camp full of every horror trope that kept just getting weirder. I picked it up because my friend is the agent for the author who wrote it. Her follow up came out last week. It's called I, Claudia, and is in fact loosely based on I, Claudius. But the main character is a girl in high school who runs for student council. The school it's set in is a rich private school, and it's extremely timely if you've read any of the accounts of Georgetown Prep over the last couple weeks. Found that interesting. If you know anything about either I, Claudius or early Roman Emperors (Claudius was the fourth) some of the plot points will be kind of predictable, but Claudia herself is a fascinating character.

    enlightenedbum on
    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • PailryderPailryder Registered User regular
    Just about finished with Circe by Madeline Miller. The language is exquisite and the retelling of the Greek myths from Circe's point of view has been very entertaining. Highly recommend if you have any interest in Greek mythology told from a more modern perspective.
    https://www.amazon.com/CIRCE-New-York-Times-bestseller-ebook/dp/B074M5TLLJ

  • SelnerSelner Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    CroakerBC wrote: »
    Kreutz wrote: »
    What physical phenomena did he base the magic system on?

    Well, it’s sci-if so mostly there isn’t one.
    Well, nothing weirder than any other space opera. There’s some unexplained weirdness which gets clearer over the course of the book, which MAY may to a scientific explanation, but I was fine without one in the context of what was known by the actors in the story

    Honestly the lack of an elaborate magic-system-wank every few pages made the writing flow so much better for me.
    (TBF I’ve enjoyed his Stormlight stuff but this is so much more tightly focused, and feels - to me - a lot better for it)

    Hmmm... new Sanderson book. I had read the description for that book in Audible, but didn't realize it was Sanderson.

    I wonder if it's part of the Cosmere. A system where a Shard didn't go or something, so there's no magic.

    It's been said that Mistborn is supposed to go into Science Fiction at some point.

    Audible has the release date in November. I'll need to race my dad to see which of us buys it first.

    EDIT: answer found, Sanderson did a AMA and here's the answer from his website:
    Skyward universe is in a universe on something he's mentioned before (though isn't cosmere). When asked what novella Skyward is in, Brandon said it's a "pretty big spoiler." He said you might want to read Skyward first if you hate novellas, but if you really want to know, the answer is in chapter seventeen of Skyward. Skyward Universe is probably the best name for the connected Skyward universe. Also, apparently Brandon has an idea he's planning where a world has no ground at all.

    Selner on
  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    Man, now I'm thinking back to his novella with the crazy birds. I would love to see him expand on those birds.

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • SelnerSelner Registered User regular
    Brody wrote: »
    Man, now I'm thinking back to his novella with the crazy birds. I would love to see him expand on those birds.

    I believe the birds are part of the Cosmere.
    Spoiler about the bird:
    People suspect that a particular "chicken" in Oathbringer is one.

    I also just popped over the The 17th Shard forum, and there's some discussion about which novella Skyward takes place in.
    The novella they think it's from is publicly available. I just read it, so if it's true, I just massively spoiled myself for Skyward. Oh well :) .

  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    Man, I really love Sanderson novella's, because they have all these super interesting tidbits, but I don't feel like I'm signing up for a couple of years of heavy reading when I pick it up.

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • PailryderPailryder Registered User regular
    the short story with the guy that had the 20(+) personalities was a great little read.

  • chrono_travellerchrono_traveller Registered User regular
    I've been listening to The Power by Naomi Alderman. I heard about it on a podcast where the interviewee recommended some "MeToo" books, and, myself a heteronormative while male, am trying to branch out to get more perspectives thought it would be a good read (it also made the NYT books of 2017 list). The premise is that girls all around the world start to develop a power/control of electricity (think Magneto, but with electricity), and the repercussions if all of a sudden, women could physically overpower any man.

    I see it as a kind of a mash-up of X-men's lessons on acceptance of differences and the gender power dynamic of The Bridesmaid's Tale (reversed), which is probably not a coincidence, since Atwood was a mentor to Alderman.

    Anyways, its pretty good so far.

    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. ~ Terry Pratchett
  • So It GoesSo It Goes We keep moving...Registered User regular
    The Power fucked me up in parts

    It's really good

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    Pailryder wrote: »
    the short story with the guy that had the 20(+) personalities was a great little read.

    Legion. Probably my favorite Sanderson books.

  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    Republic of Thieves is not good IMO.

    Over half the book is Locke bickering with Jean, Sabetha, or someone else. Maybe a fifth is dedicated to them actually trying to steal an election.
    I especially dislike making Locke a one time mage. I hate secret, grand pasts, especially at the cost of a successful character losing a relatively mundane origin.

    Never mind the overwrought Falconer nonsense.

    Just disappointed all around. After finding the first two excellent this was a big letdown.

This discussion has been closed.