So y'all were right that harrow is both going harder and more interesting than gideon. Still in it so don't spoil it but spoiler for a joke on the...spoiler.
at, "so that the nine houses didn't become none houses with left grief"I let out an audible "fuck you!" Like I would for any terrible pun. Just perfectly unprepared for a shit post in the middle of the book. Here for it tho.
I had to put the book down and get up and go take a walk after that. I'm still not sure I've forgiven her
So y'all were right that harrow is both going harder and more interesting than gideon. Still in it so don't spoil it but spoiler for a joke on the...spoiler.
at, "so that the nine houses didn't become none houses with left grief"I let out an audible "fuck you!" Like I would for any terrible pun. Just perfectly unprepared for a shit post in the middle of the book. Here for it tho.
I had to put the book down and get up and go take a walk after that. I'm still not sure I've forgiven her
I had to look that up because I didn't remember it and FUCK. Just goddamn it.
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
I started A Memory of Empire and almost immediately was like
“Yep, this sure reads like it was grown in a vat of stuff that appeals to Hugo voters.”
Still good though. Does the SF literary thing I find interesting, where they sprinkle bits of cultural errata at the beginning of chapters to enhance the richness of the world.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
0
3cl1ps3I will build a labyrinth to house the cheeseRegistered Userregular
I started A Memory of Empire and almost immediately was like
“Yep, this sure reads like it was grown in a vat of stuff that appeals to Hugo voters.”
Still good though. Does the SF literary thing I find interesting, where they sprinkle bits of cultural errata at the beginning of chapters to enhance the richness of the world.
Unpack that?
I'm not being snarky, I genuinely have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
I read Season of Storms, which is the last Witcher book
and it didn't hit as hard for me as some of the other ones that were actually in the series, but it was kinda nice to spend some time with the characters again and it's kinda funny that the epilogue is pretty much there to say "yeah, it's nice to spend some time with the characters again"
it did make me really appreciate one of Sapkowski's stylistic things which is to have sections and chapters from the point of view of people way in the future, talking about events that are going on for the main cast of characters in the present. Details of a battle get told by a veteran of it to their grandkids, or you get people in a pub discussing it as tales of long ago, or competing academic perspectives on why something happened
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
It’s hard to explain exactly, and I’m not being snarky either it’s just like... the empire stuff, and the linguistics and manners stuff that have been major themes in several of the most recent Hugo winners.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
I would like to add
the coffee, sorry, "bari" that is made by Bari-Stars
It’s hard to explain exactly, and I’m not being snarky either it’s just like... the empire stuff, and the linguistics and manners stuff that have been major themes in several of the most recent Hugo winners.
Looking forward to it as my next read, but I can see how that could come across as kinda oscar/hugo bait, even if sincerely made.
0
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
I would like to add
the coffee, sorry, "bari" that is made by Bari-Stars
To the same list
I think there might be at least one more glorious stinker left in the chamber, and I look forward to your reaction with interest.
+2
3cl1ps3I will build a labyrinth to house the cheeseRegistered Userregular
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
I would like to add
the coffee, sorry, "bari" that is made by Bari-Stars
To the same list
I think there might be at least one more glorious stinker left in the chamber, and I look forward to your reaction with interest.
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
I would like to add
the coffee, sorry, "bari" that is made by Bari-Stars
To the same list
I think there might be at least one more glorious stinker left in the chamber, and I look forward to your reaction with interest.
If it is
there would be a goddamn reckoning...I was going to reck her
Then that one is just a stinker compared to the others. But kind of in a delightful way appropriate to the character.
fuck oops there goes gravity though.
Wait. No. Surely this is it .
I'm dad
Fuck you.
And, so some thoughts that are just turbo overall spoilers for both books, for realsies not holding back, I'll even nest them for the weak willed.
no really, you can turn back if you haven't read it, it wont make much sense otherwise
So while I immensely enjoyed them, I never really "got" the harrow and gideon dynamic. It really felt like at one point a switch was flipped and they were ready to die for each other all of a sudden. Which made some sense given circumstances, but also it felt really abrupt and I just kind of had to accept "yup, this is the new status quo I guess?" Is this one of those anime tsundere things? Yandere? I dunno and I won't look it up. Tamsyn Muir also seems to have the problem I have with Stephenson, in that all the interesting parts to me are the world building and the character dynamics, and then you make me read long action scenes. Granted, I think Tamsyn does a MUCH better job with those action scenes than Stephenson, but it's still like being served salad at fogo de chao, even if it's good it's not what I'm here for and not in a way that makes me appreciate the rest more.
Anyway, so with all the planet killing....are...are we the baddies? I think maybe? Obv God killed a whole lotta people in the turbo version of what made Harrow, but it's unclear if that's standard "greater good" villain stuff or actual "no really, suns going out, it was this or complete death" or something in between. It also seems like there are def groups outside of the 9 houses/planets but they come up so little that it's hard to even guess their role in the universe.
Not a spoiler, Tamsyn Muir also has a short story, "The mysterious Study of Dr. Sex" and uh, yeah I'll go give that a peek. And a glance tells me it's even in universe! https://www.tor.com/2020/07/29/the-mysterious-study-of-dr-sex-tamsyn-muir/ Well, maybe not a spoiler, have not read it. Maybe it spoils the books? Who knows!
+2
3cl1ps3I will build a labyrinth to house the cheeseRegistered Userregular
Honestly I think she should have ended the book at
"I'm dad"
+1
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
Thank you for posting these quotes so I can never read this book
It's legit good and fun though! You can FEEL the author having fun with things, it's delightful. And a lot of really cool world building and character work.
+3
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
Yeah. I have to say, I would never have expected those quotes to be included in a good book, but the way they're casually dropped in context makes them feel way less egregious than they are on their own.
I'm on record as not liking it all that much the first time I read it, I felt like it was a bit too much brain and not enough heart
I still think that's true, to a degree, but I'm liking it more this time around. I think cuz I can just relax and not get bogged down in all the details this time.
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
I would like to add
the coffee, sorry, "bari" that is made by Bari-Stars
To the same list
I think there might be at least one more glorious stinker left in the chamber, and I look forward to your reaction with interest.
If it is
there would be a goddamn reckoning...I was going to reck her
Then that one is just a stinker compared to the others. But kind of in a delightful way appropriate to the character.
fuck oops there goes gravity though.
Wait. No. Surely this is it .
I'm dad
Fuck you.
And, so some thoughts that are just turbo overall spoilers for both books, for realsies not holding back, I'll even nest them for the weak willed.
no really, you can turn back if you haven't read it, it wont make much sense otherwise
So while I immensely enjoyed them, I never really "got" the harrow and gideon dynamic. It really felt like at one point a switch was flipped and they were ready to die for each other all of a sudden. Which made some sense given circumstances, but also it felt really abrupt and I just kind of had to accept "yup, this is the new status quo I guess?" Is this one of those anime tsundere things? Yandere? I dunno and I won't look it up. Tamsyn Muir also seems to have the problem I have with Stephenson, in that all the interesting parts to me are the world building and the character dynamics, and then you make me read long action scenes. Granted, I think Tamsyn does a MUCH better job with those action scenes than Stephenson, but it's still like being served salad at fogo de chao, even if it's good it's not what I'm here for and not in a way that makes me appreciate the rest more.
Anyway, so with all the planet killing....are...are we the baddies? I think maybe? Obv God killed a whole lotta people in the turbo version of what made Harrow, but it's unclear if that's standard "greater good" villain stuff or actual "no really, suns going out, it was this or complete death" or something in between. It also seems like there are def groups outside of the 9 houses/planets but they come up so little that it's hard to even guess their role in the universe.
Not a spoiler, Tamsyn Muir also has a short story, "The mysterious Study of Dr. Sex" and uh, yeah I'll go give that a peek. And a glance tells me it's even in universe! https://www.tor.com/2020/07/29/the-mysterious-study-of-dr-sex-tamsyn-muir/ Well, maybe not a spoiler, have not read it. Maybe it spoils the books? Who knows!
I felt the same way about the action scenes. I wasn't a particular fan. The early stuff in Gideon is fine.
when it was just super saiyans fighting each other at the end I almost stopped reading the book. There was nothing new to the action, just everyone no longer had weights attached to them. And based on how hopeless she described everything I knew it was going to end with gideon sacrificing herself. Not to mention the next book is titled harrow the ninth, so harrow had to be like a cavalier in some sense. The world building was mostly good. I just didn't like having to try to remember all of the different houses and what they stood for and the people's names. But then people started getting killed and that mattered less.
I loved that and immediately shared it with a friend who was waiting for me to finish so they could ooze spoilers and they hadn't even picked up on it! I was incensed
I would like to add
the coffee, sorry, "bari" that is made by Bari-Stars
To the same list
I think there might be at least one more glorious stinker left in the chamber, and I look forward to your reaction with interest.
If it is
there would be a goddamn reckoning...I was going to reck her
Then that one is just a stinker compared to the others. But kind of in a delightful way appropriate to the character.
fuck oops there goes gravity though.
Wait. No. Surely this is it .
I'm dad
Fuck you.
And, so some thoughts that are just turbo overall spoilers for both books, for realsies not holding back, I'll even nest them for the weak willed.
no really, you can turn back if you haven't read it, it wont make much sense otherwise
So while I immensely enjoyed them, I never really "got" the harrow and gideon dynamic. It really felt like at one point a switch was flipped and they were ready to die for each other all of a sudden. Which made some sense given circumstances, but also it felt really abrupt and I just kind of had to accept "yup, this is the new status quo I guess?" Is this one of those anime tsundere things? Yandere? I dunno and I won't look it up. Tamsyn Muir also seems to have the problem I have with Stephenson, in that all the interesting parts to me are the world building and the character dynamics, and then you make me read long action scenes. Granted, I think Tamsyn does a MUCH better job with those action scenes than Stephenson, but it's still like being served salad at fogo de chao, even if it's good it's not what I'm here for and not in a way that makes me appreciate the rest more.
Anyway, so with all the planet killing....are...are we the baddies? I think maybe? Obv God killed a whole lotta people in the turbo version of what made Harrow, but it's unclear if that's standard "greater good" villain stuff or actual "no really, suns going out, it was this or complete death" or something in between. It also seems like there are def groups outside of the 9 houses/planets but they come up so little that it's hard to even guess their role in the universe.
Not a spoiler, Tamsyn Muir also has a short story, "The mysterious Study of Dr. Sex" and uh, yeah I'll go give that a peek. And a glance tells me it's even in universe! https://www.tor.com/2020/07/29/the-mysterious-study-of-dr-sex-tamsyn-muir/ Well, maybe not a spoiler, have not read it. Maybe it spoils the books? Who knows!
I felt the same way about the action scenes. I wasn't a particular fan. The early stuff in Gideon is fine.
when it was just super saiyans fighting each other at the end I almost stopped reading the book. There was nothing new to the action, just everyone no longer had weights attached to them. And based on how hopeless she described everything I knew it was going to end with gideon sacrificing herself. Not to mention the next book is titled harrow the ninth, so harrow had to be like a cavalier in some sense. The world building was mostly good. I just didn't like having to try to remember all of the different houses and what they stood for and the people's names. But then people started getting killed and that mattered less.
Yeah I still can't quite figure out military house and military house that tends to die in battle. Unless it's just officers and grunts. Some of the Cavs were also a bit hard to keep straight, the necromancers all generally had more of a thing to keep them identifiable. Even if it was just being a teen twin.
Excited to start memory called empire now, though I worry just from the title it'll fall into my anne leckie hole of "I should like this but don't?"
I briefly posted about this in the holiday forum, but I enjoyed it so much after finishing it I am writing a little more.
Guy on the cover is part of a wandering storytelling-as-religion thing in fantasy Europe. He got into some serious shit with his master Chant in the previous book A Conspiracy of Truths, I haven't read it, but he's not the narrator in it so I didn't feel I missed much, but maybe you should read it first I don't know. Btw lol at these fantasy ass titles for books that don't even have elves or wizards. Anyway, he's on his own and depressed in fantasy Netherlands now. He is hired by a merchant for his strong language skills, and he stumbles into the heart of fantasy Tulip Mania. The book is his journal, which he gave to another character to his explain his role in events. She is, for various reasons, pretty upset with him, and she writes footnotes (and a few chapters) on the manuscript with her opinions and perspective as she read all 400 pages of it in one night. The prose sparkles in a way that genre fiction usually does not, and the meta narrative makes the strong worldbuilding even more immersive. It's a real credit to their skills as an author, in my opinion at least, that I didn't go "woooww you invented New Cultures", "woooww your narrator is young and has Feelings", and "woooww I also post anti-capitalist memes on reddit". I even enjoyed the romance subplot, which I can usually only tolerate at best. My only real complaints feel a bit too spoilery to type, so I'll just say I think they felt pressured by expectations to include things that I think weakened the story.
But still, 5 stars, very gay, would accidentally financial crisis again
Hi all I need a good palate cleansing fiction book!
I like and read anything. I think I want something sci-fi, something with a twist on the tale. A good anthology would be nice, something I can jump in and out of fairly easily. I really haven’t read much sci-fi apart from Dan Simmons and Starship Troopers
a couple days ago i ordered Gideon the Ninth, Ninefox Gambit and a book for the parents of trans kids
today, after some real shit went down with my parents last night, i was in the cbd and decided to do some retail therapy so i picked up Unconquerable Sun (the genderswapped Alexander the Great in Space book that someone was recommending in the holiday forums), Annihilation and Red Seas Under Red Skies, the second of the Gentleman Bastard books. I didn't actually love Lies of Locke Lamora when i borrowed it from a friend a couple years ago. It was often a bit too grim and gruesome for what i wanted out of a thief and con-men story. But i kinda just wanted more books, so i picked up the sequel and maybe i'll like it a bit more the second time round.
a couple days ago i ordered Gideon the Ninth, Ninefox Gambit and a book for the parents of trans kids
today, after some real shit went down with my parents last night, i was in the cbd and decided to do some retail therapy so i picked up Unconquerable Sun (the genderswapped Alexander the Great in Space book that someone was recommending in the holiday forums), Annihilation and Red Seas Under Red Skies, the second of the Gentleman Bastard books. I didn't actually love Lies of Locke Lamora when i borrowed it from a friend a couple years ago. It was often a bit too grim and gruesome for what i wanted out of a thief and con-men story. But i kinda just wanted more books, so i picked up the sequel and maybe i'll like it a bit more the second time round.
I don't quite know enough about ancient greece to really pick up on those references
But the most amazing thing is probably that the main character, Sun, has a number of consorts from the various different houses in the empire. And so, for a lot of the book, she's had a team of exceptionally competent and incredibly loyal people by her side. And i've just gotten through a whole multi-chapter action sequence where the book has changed POV multiple times and just balanced all these characters and their expertises and their foibles and they've got their own depths to themselves, all while deeper layers to a conspiracy start to emerge and it's just all expertly done
Making plans and then revising plans and flying by the seat of their pants
so, i finished it and it's just a really really good space opera
it's got good courtly intrigue, it's got interesting cultures and relationships, it's got people being mature about relationships, it's got interesting tactics, it's got a main character who's heir to an empire and out to prove themselves but then it actually really shows exactly why this person is a great leader and why people would follow her to the ends of the earth, it has arsehole underdogs who are incredibly competent at some things and then get in over their heads completely and have to learn of the fly
it's just a really really good book and i had a great time with it
Posts
I had to put the book down and get up and go take a walk after that. I'm still not sure I've forgiven her
I had to look that up because I didn't remember it and FUCK. Just goddamn it.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
“Yep, this sure reads like it was grown in a vat of stuff that appeals to Hugo voters.”
Still good though. Does the SF literary thing I find interesting, where they sprinkle bits of cultural errata at the beginning of chapters to enhance the richness of the world.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Unpack that?
I'm not being snarky, I genuinely have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
and it didn't hit as hard for me as some of the other ones that were actually in the series, but it was kinda nice to spend some time with the characters again and it's kinda funny that the epilogue is pretty much there to say "yeah, it's nice to spend some time with the characters again"
it did make me really appreciate one of Sapkowski's stylistic things which is to have sections and chapters from the point of view of people way in the future, talking about events that are going on for the main cast of characters in the present. Details of a battle get told by a veteran of it to their grandkids, or you get people in a pub discussing it as tales of long ago, or competing academic perspectives on why something happened
it just kinda works
Steam // Secret Satan
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I would like to add
Looking forward to it as my next read, but I can see how that could come across as kinda oscar/hugo bait, even if sincerely made.
I think there might be at least one more glorious stinker left in the chamber, and I look forward to your reaction with interest.
Oh he hasn't even gotten to the best one yet.
If it is
Wait. No. Surely this is it .
And, so some thoughts that are just turbo overall spoilers for both books, for realsies not holding back, I'll even nest them for the weak willed.
Anyway, so with all the planet killing....are...are we the baddies? I think maybe? Obv God killed a whole lotta people in the turbo version of what made Harrow, but it's unclear if that's standard "greater good" villain stuff or actual "no really, suns going out, it was this or complete death" or something in between. It also seems like there are def groups outside of the 9 houses/planets but they come up so little that it's hard to even guess their role in the universe.
Not a spoiler, Tamsyn Muir also has a short story, "The mysterious Study of Dr. Sex" and uh, yeah I'll go give that a peek. And a glance tells me it's even in universe!
https://www.tor.com/2020/07/29/the-mysterious-study-of-dr-sex-tamsyn-muir/ Well, maybe not a spoiler, have not read it. Maybe it spoils the books? Who knows!
It's legit good and fun though! You can FEEL the author having fun with things, it's delightful. And a lot of really cool world building and character work.
i'm also glad that it isn't hetrosexual
i'd missed that bit when people were recommending it, so it was a pleasant surprise
Steam // Secret Satan
I forgot about this one too, just put a hold at the library for it.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I'm on record as not liking it all that much the first time I read it, I felt like it was a bit too much brain and not enough heart
I still think that's true, to a degree, but I'm liking it more this time around. I think cuz I can just relax and not get bogged down in all the details this time.
I felt the same way about the action scenes. I wasn't a particular fan. The early stuff in Gideon is fine.
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198004484595
Yeah I still can't quite figure out military house and military house that tends to die in battle. Unless it's just officers and grunts. Some of the Cavs were also a bit hard to keep straight, the necromancers all generally had more of a thing to keep them identifiable. Even if it was just being a teen twin.
Excited to start memory called empire now, though I worry just from the title it'll fall into my anne leckie hole of "I should like this but don't?"
features my favourite trope of
Steam // Secret Satan
Guy on the cover is part of a wandering storytelling-as-religion thing in fantasy Europe. He got into some serious shit with his master Chant in the previous book A Conspiracy of Truths, I haven't read it, but he's not the narrator in it so I didn't feel I missed much, but maybe you should read it first I don't know. Btw lol at these fantasy ass titles for books that don't even have elves or wizards. Anyway, he's on his own and depressed in fantasy Netherlands now. He is hired by a merchant for his strong language skills, and he stumbles into the heart of fantasy Tulip Mania. The book is his journal, which he gave to another character to his explain his role in events. She is, for various reasons, pretty upset with him, and she writes footnotes (and a few chapters) on the manuscript with her opinions and perspective as she read all 400 pages of it in one night. The prose sparkles in a way that genre fiction usually does not, and the meta narrative makes the strong worldbuilding even more immersive. It's a real credit to their skills as an author, in my opinion at least, that I didn't go "woooww you invented New Cultures", "woooww your narrator is young and has Feelings", and "woooww I also post anti-capitalist memes on reddit". I even enjoyed the romance subplot, which I can usually only tolerate at best. My only real complaints feel a bit too spoilery to type, so I'll just say I think they felt pressured by expectations to include things that I think weakened the story.
But still, 5 stars, very gay, would accidentally financial crisis again
It's funny, until you guys started talking about it I'd completely forgotten that it wasn't a het romance. It's a really good book!
@Tef
Falling free
Louis McMaster Bujold
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
but it really doesn't have enough long philosophical conversations with townsfolk
it lacks that almost Pratchett like energy that i love so much in the books
Steam // Secret Satan
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
i enjoyed my time with it
Steam // Secret Satan
today, after some real shit went down with my parents last night, i was in the cbd and decided to do some retail therapy so i picked up Unconquerable Sun (the genderswapped Alexander the Great in Space book that someone was recommending in the holiday forums), Annihilation and Red Seas Under Red Skies, the second of the Gentleman Bastard books. I didn't actually love Lies of Locke Lamora when i borrowed it from a friend a couple years ago. It was often a bit too grim and gruesome for what i wanted out of a thief and con-men story. But i kinda just wanted more books, so i picked up the sequel and maybe i'll like it a bit more the second time round.
Steam // Secret Satan
Red Seas is probably the best Bastards book.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I don't quite know enough about ancient greece to really pick up on those references
But the most amazing thing is probably that the main character, Sun, has a number of consorts from the various different houses in the empire. And so, for a lot of the book, she's had a team of exceptionally competent and incredibly loyal people by her side. And i've just gotten through a whole multi-chapter action sequence where the book has changed POV multiple times and just balanced all these characters and their expertises and their foibles and they've got their own depths to themselves, all while deeper layers to a conspiracy start to emerge and it's just all expertly done
Making plans and then revising plans and flying by the seat of their pants
It's just all really fantastic
Steam // Secret Satan
Steam // Secret Satan
it's got good courtly intrigue, it's got interesting cultures and relationships, it's got people being mature about relationships, it's got interesting tactics, it's got a main character who's heir to an empire and out to prove themselves but then it actually really shows exactly why this person is a great leader and why people would follow her to the ends of the earth, it has arsehole underdogs who are incredibly competent at some things and then get in over their heads completely and have to learn of the fly
it's just a really really good book and i had a great time with it
Steam // Secret Satan