BrodyThe WatchThe First ShoreRegistered Userregular
Just finished Semiosis. It was interesting. The thread convo had me believing it would told from the perspective of bamboo somehow fighting oranges. Not entirely untrue, but very different from how I was expecting.
"I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."
Declare, by Tim Power. Pretty good. The spy stuff and the historical settings are very well researched, the supernatural stuff is unusual and feels original.
It works a lot better that the Laundry Files books (or at least the first one, which is the only one I've read), I think, which try for the same spy/supernatural evil angle. In the Laundry Files book I read there was a bit where the hero discovers some torture device the Nazis had used and it was meant as a moment of shocking horror, but it didn't land because they're the Nazis, and some gross torture device is less horrific than all the stuff we know the Nazis actually did. Powers doesn't make this same mistake, and instead the revelation is about the motives behind horrific acts we already know about, which lands much better.
So I finally got myself a Kindle Paperwhite about a week ago and I can say I'm loving every bit of it. I usually prefer digital books, with some exceptions, so that pretty much means I end up reading a lot on my phone or on my computer. While I still manage to read a bunch like that, it's just not optimal.
This thing is game-changing for me. I have read quite a bunch in this past week, and it feels just so much better.
As far as current readings, not counting esoteric history of martial arts stuff, I am in the middle of Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse book 1) and I'm really liking it. It finally managed to grab me after a false start where I stopped after 2 chapters because I just didn't like it (I love the series and wanted to read the books afterwards), but right now it's chugging along nicely.
E-ink devices are phenomenal. On the rare occasion that I read a regular book I find myself absentmindedly trying to tap words to look them up.
Declare, by Tim Power. Pretty good. The spy stuff and the historical settings are very well researched, the supernatural stuff is unusual and feels original.
It works a lot better that the Laundry Files books (or at least the first one, which is the only one I've read), I think, which try for the same spy/supernatural evil angle. In the Laundry Files book I read there was a bit where the hero discovers some torture device the Nazis had used and it was meant as a moment of shocking horror, but it didn't land because they're the Nazis, and some gross torture device is less horrific than all the stuff we know the Nazis actually did. Powers doesn't make this same mistake, and instead the revelation is about the motives behind horrific acts we already know about, which lands much better.
the Laundry files has done a great job of predicting current UK Poltics
Declare, by Tim Power. Pretty good. The spy stuff and the historical settings are very well researched, the supernatural stuff is unusual and feels original.
It works a lot better that the Laundry Files books (or at least the first one, which is the only one I've read), I think, which try for the same spy/supernatural evil angle. In the Laundry Files book I read there was a bit where the hero discovers some torture device the Nazis had used and it was meant as a moment of shocking horror, but it didn't land because they're the Nazis, and some gross torture device is less horrific than all the stuff we know the Nazis actually did. Powers doesn't make this same mistake, and instead the revelation is about the motives behind horrific acts we already know about, which lands much better.
the Laundry files has done a great job of predicting current UK Poltics
Dude keeps having to rewrite his near future work because his crazy political moves were routinely outdone by reality.
Read Player of Games recently. I think it ended up on the list from a bit where Quinns was talking about books featuring games.
Enjoyable, though Gurgeh the games master is such a geeky power fantasy Mary Sue it did make me laugh.
Most satisfying is just how that works out.
Gurgeh is played from the very beginning of the book by beings way more cunning and smart than he is. To the point where it is unclear if he ever understands just how thoroughly he was manipulated through the course of the book.
Declare, by Tim Power. Pretty good. The spy stuff and the historical settings are very well researched, the supernatural stuff is unusual and feels original.
It works a lot better that the Laundry Files books (or at least the first one, which is the only one I've read), I think, which try for the same spy/supernatural evil angle. In the Laundry Files book I read there was a bit where the hero discovers some torture device the Nazis had used and it was meant as a moment of shocking horror, but it didn't land because they're the Nazis, and some gross torture device is less horrific than all the stuff we know the Nazis actually did. Powers doesn't make this same mistake, and instead the revelation is about the motives behind horrific acts we already know about, which lands much better.
the Laundry files has done a great job of predicting current UK Poltics
I thought the first five Laundry books were when it was at it's best. When Bob was no longer the main character the books were nowhere near as good. None of other main characters are as interesting or entertaining as Bob.
Book six was a real slog to get through, seven and eight were better but a big departure from the previous books, and I have not yet read the ninth book. At this point I'm not in much of a rush until it drops down to the $10 range. Personally, $15 is too much to pay for an eBook when I haven't enjoyed the last few books that much.
Declare, by Tim Power. Pretty good. The spy stuff and the historical settings are very well researched, the supernatural stuff is unusual and feels original.
It works a lot better that the Laundry Files books (or at least the first one, which is the only one I've read), I think, which try for the same spy/supernatural evil angle. In the Laundry Files book I read there was a bit where the hero discovers some torture device the Nazis had used and it was meant as a moment of shocking horror, but it didn't land because they're the Nazis, and some gross torture device is less horrific than all the stuff we know the Nazis actually did. Powers doesn't make this same mistake, and instead the revelation is about the motives behind horrific acts we already know about, which lands much better.
the Laundry files has done a great job of predicting current UK Poltics
I thought the first five Laundry books were when it was at it's best. When Bob was no longer the main character the books were nowhere near as good. None of other main characters are as interesting or entertaining as Bob.
Book six was a real slog to get through, seven and eight were better but a big departure from the previous books, and I have not yet read the ninth book. At this point I'm not in much of a rush until it drops down to the $10 range. Personally, $15 is too much to pay for an eBook when I haven't enjoyed the last few books that much.
Book six has issues with the narrator being in a really not good place. That it comes off as unpleasant to deal with feels like the point. Pairing that with the very british take on superheroes does come off as a not great combination for most Americans.
'Mo, the narrator is having a full on mental breakdown. That's before she's placed in charge of bootstrapping a major government agency out of nothing while also trying to keep a sliver of a major extradimensional horror in check all while cut off from her support systems.
Book nine's protagonist is way closer to Bob in outlook and style. Different but some of that same snarky humor but with less naive cluelessness about the situation that surrounds them.
Posts
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
It works a lot better that the Laundry Files books (or at least the first one, which is the only one I've read), I think, which try for the same spy/supernatural evil angle. In the Laundry Files book I read there was a bit where the hero discovers some torture device the Nazis had used and it was meant as a moment of shocking horror, but it didn't land because they're the Nazis, and some gross torture device is less horrific than all the stuff we know the Nazis actually did. Powers doesn't make this same mistake, and instead the revelation is about the motives behind horrific acts we already know about, which lands much better.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
E-ink devices are phenomenal. On the rare occasion that I read a regular book I find myself absentmindedly trying to tap words to look them up.
Enjoyable, though Gurgeh the games master is such a geeky power fantasy Mary Sue it did make me laugh.
the Laundry files has done a great job of predicting current UK Poltics
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Dude keeps having to rewrite his near future work because his crazy political moves were routinely outdone by reality.
Most satisfying is just how that works out.
Banks was a very good author.
While I'm from the navel of America, I'm pretty sure some of my BM's are harder working than Bam-Bam de Pfeffel.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
I thought the first five Laundry books were when it was at it's best. When Bob was no longer the main character the books were nowhere near as good. None of other main characters are as interesting or entertaining as Bob.
Book six was a real slog to get through, seven and eight were better but a big departure from the previous books, and I have not yet read the ninth book. At this point I'm not in much of a rush until it drops down to the $10 range. Personally, $15 is too much to pay for an eBook when I haven't enjoyed the last few books that much.
Book six has issues with the narrator being in a really not good place. That it comes off as unpleasant to deal with feels like the point. Pairing that with the very british take on superheroes does come off as a not great combination for most Americans.
Book nine's protagonist is way closer to Bob in outlook and style. Different but some of that same snarky humor but with less naive cluelessness about the situation that surrounds them.
Geth, close the thread.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3