Search Amazon.com:
Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us $3,400 per month for bandwidth bills alone, and since we don't believe in shoving popup ads to our registered users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
«213 »
  • Post
  • Reply
Flatscan
Mar 27, 2001

Outlaw Journalist



coyo7e posted:

Fitz ending like looking like Quasimodo, living hidden away from other humans like some sort of freak of nature was just dumb and really had no satisfaction in it.

I imagine that would have been dumb, if it had actually happened. Nor did he become a cripple either.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

noggut
Jan 15, 2008


I went and borrowed "Gardens of the Moon" after a few minutes in this thread. Thanks, thread, I'm sure I'll like it.

rangergirl
Jun 2, 2004
A shark on whiskey is mighty risky, but a shark on beer is a beer engineer

Ither posted:

I'm looking for an action urban fantasy (regular fantasy is fine too) book that stars a magic user. Any suggestions? I'm already reading the Dresden files.

Sandman Slim books were already mentioned, and they are indeed awesome. I also like the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey. They are about an exorcist in London who uses music to cast out ghosts/demons. More like the Dresden Files than Sandman Slim in my opinion.

Habibi
Dec 8, 2004

By your powers combined,
I am Captain Playoffs!


noggut posted:

I went and borrowed "Gardens of the Moon" after a few minutes in this thread. Thanks, thread, I'm sure I'll like it.

Go hop into the Malazan thread. Everyone always gets excited when someone picks GotM for the first time.

funkybottoms
Oct 28, 2010

Funky Bottoms is a land man

rangergirl posted:

Sandman Slim books were already mentioned, and they are indeed awesome. I also like the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey. They are about an exorcist in London who uses music to cast out ghosts/demons. More like the Dresden Files than Sandman Slim in my opinion.

seconding Mike Carey's Felix Castor books- kind of standard in some regards, but with a good main character and a pretty interesting setting.

coyo7e
Aug 23, 2007



funkybottoms posted:

seconding Mike Carey's Felix Castor books- kind of standard in some regards, but with a good main character and a pretty interesting setting.
Yeah these are great; funny, original, and hard to put down.

Flatscan posted:

I imagine that would have been dumb, if it had actually happened. Nor did he become a cripple either.
Sorry it's been quite a while and I have no desire to read those books again, but I remember at the ending that Fitz had some kind of major palsy and couldn't hold his hands steady due to some poison or something that left him weak as a lamb, living in some hut off away from all people. And wasn't he badly scarred? Or was that just his master.

Sure he wasn't hanging out in a belfry screaming alongside the bells, but..

coyo7e fucked around with this message at Feb 3, 2011 around 19:31

fed_dude
May 31, 2004


I just finished reading all the mainline Honor Harrington books by David Weber, and really enjoyed them! Granted, he got bogged down in some of Honor's personal issues a little too much in some of the later books, but they were still drat good. And I'm excited to find out what happens next. According to Weber, even after 12 books he's only about halfway through the original plotline he had mapped out for the series.

Flatscan
Mar 27, 2001

Outlaw Journalist



coyo7e posted:

Sorry it's been quite a while and I have no desire to read those books again, but I remember at the ending that Fitz had some kind of major palsy and couldn't hold his hands steady due to some poison or something that left him weak as a lamb, living in some hut off away from all people. And wasn't he badly scarred? Or was that just his master.

Sure he wasn't hanging out in a belfry screaming alongside the bells, but..

The palsy is nowhere near as bad as you might think and is pretty much due to him being a junky, addicted to elfroot and other stuff. Also Nighteyes was getting old and nearing the end of his life, his infirmities and lethargy were transmitted to Fitz across the bond.

There's also the fact that some people just want to live alone in peace, not dash around killing villains and loving princesses. You should probably give those books another chance when you're a bit older, you may get more out of them. Avoid the Soldier Son trilogy though, those are poo poo.

Skutter
Apr 7, 2007

I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well, here I am.


rangergirl posted:

Sandman Slim books were already mentioned, and they are indeed awesome. I also like the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey. They are about an exorcist in London who uses music to cast out ghosts/demons. More like the Dresden Files than Sandman Slim in my opinion.

I totally forgot about those books. Those are really good as well. I wish there was a decent urban fantasy series with a female protagonist that wasn't a veiled excuse for bestiality (Anita Blake) or terrible, terrible romance (pretty much any others I've read). The Andrea Cort series by Adam-Troy Castro is pretty good, but it's sci-fi. I can't think of any others off the top of my head...

Edit: Looking at my list of books to read, I remembered the Detective Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams. It's set it the not-too-distant future in Singapore, where magic and demons and travel between Heaven and Hell is common. DI Chen is a paranormal crimes investigator who has the goddess Kuan Yin as a protector, is married to a demoness from Hell and has an earth spirit as a pet. One of the things I like the most about the series is that it has all religious beliefs as being equally valid and existing simultaneously, so there's a Hindu Heaven and a Chinese Hell and a Christian Purgatory; it's really cool. Snake Agent is the first novel and I highly recommend the series to anyone who likes mysteries, Asian mythology or good fantasy novels.

Skutter fucked around with this message at Feb 4, 2011 around 03:27

thedouche
Mar 20, 2007
Greetings from thedouche



The Watch series by Sergei Lukyanenko was a great read. If any of you saw the movies when they came out a few years ago, mind you that they don't strictly follow the plot of the books (several major plot points are changed and the two movies are based on the 1st book while being named after the 1st and 2nd book).

The story mainly concerns humans with varying levels of supernatural powers known as "others" (witches, magicians, succubi, werewolves, vampires, etc). Others can enter the "twilight" which is a parallel layer of reality and draw power from it for their various magical abilities. The forces of light are represented by an agency called the Nightwatch and the forces of dark are represented by the Daywatch. The two groups are at a compromise/stalemate that cannot be broken until one group gains a substantial advantage and makes a move.

The 4 books mainly concern protagonist Anton as he develops as a Nightwatch agent. Regardless of his low rank/ablity he manages to be in the middle of essentially any poo poo that occurs. He's definitely a good guy, but I enjoy the imperfection of his character.

I suck at writing and my description doesn't even come close to doing the book justice. The stories alternate between being intimate and epic while the author subtly injects humor throughout. I highly recommend anyone interested in contemporary fantasy in a non-western setting check it out (at least download the kindle sample).

Mercury Falls by Robert Kroese should have been good, but sucked. The story involves an apocalypse being directed by the dealings between the overly complicated bureaucracy of angels and demons and the efforts of a human named Christine Temetri to make sense of/delay the impending doom. The author tries way too hard to be funny/Douglas Adams and isn't either.

coyo7e
Aug 23, 2007



^^^ Awesome thanks for the recommend, i literally just saw those books at B&N today and was wondering if they would be as good as the movies were (at least the first one.)

Flatscan posted:

The palsy is nowhere near as bad as you might think and is pretty much due to him being a junky, addicted to elfroot and other stuff. Also Nighteyes was getting old and nearing the end of his life, his infirmities and lethargy were transmitted to Fitz across the bond.

There's also the fact that some people just want to live alone in peace, not dash around killing villains and loving princesses. You should probably give those books another chance when you're a bit older, you may get more out of them. Avoid the Soldier Son trilogy though, those are poo poo.
No you see, I read that poo poo a decade ago, and I see it as even more young adult dross now, than I did back then. Why would I be more interested in the coming of age story of a young (secret royal bastard, of course!) boy who's got a magic telepathic link to his pet while learning secret arts from a scarred obi wan kenobe.. I'd rather watch Blue's Clues.

If I'm gonna read fantasy that's mostly intended for children, I'll go read Artemis Fowl or something. At least it's original and amusing.

coyo7e fucked around with this message at Feb 5, 2011 around 03:05

thedouche
Mar 20, 2007
Greetings from thedouche



coyo7e posted:

^^^ Awesome thanks for the recommend, i literally just saw those books at B&N today and was wondering if they would be as good as the movies were (at least the first one.)

I really liked the movie when I watched it several years back(and I liked the guy that played Anton), but I loved the books and read the whole series in a couple weeks. The books tie-ins with the movies later are pretty damned funny.

JD-Smith
Apr 30, 2009


Can I get some recommendations in these categories?

1. Fantasy series similar to the Ice and Fire series I just started and love so far.

2. "ghost ship" type stories like.. Aliens, or Dead Space, Event Horizon etc. Stories similar to isolation and unknown like "The Thing" doesn't necessarily have to be in space but just that kind of creepy exploration or unknown threat type of situation. Sorry for being so vague.. I'd like them for Kindle as well.

Anyway awesome thread I've been wish listing some of these books mentioned.

Vertigus
Jan 8, 2011



JD-Smith posted:

2. "ghost ship" type stories like.. Aliens, or Dead Space, Event Horizon etc. Stories similar to isolation and unknown like "The Thing" doesn't necessarily have to be in space but just that kind of creepy exploration or unknown threat type of situation. Sorry for being so vague.. I'd like them for Kindle as well.

Not a series, but here's one:

Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(Russo_novel)

Features a lot of exploration of an unknown alien ship bits, with some cosmic horror and the sense that the book was written by a suicidally-depressed nihilist.

Azure_Horizon
Mar 27, 2010

You can live in the wreckage and pretend it's the mansion you remember, or you can crawl from the rubble and move on.


noggut posted:

I went and borrowed "Gardens of the Moon" after a few minutes in this thread. Thanks, thread, I'm sure I'll like it.

I like Malazan, but man, does it ever get dense and complicated. I would say... too complicated for its own good. I'll still finish the series, but after the ninth book I'm honestly really lost.

silly
Jul 15, 2004

"I saw it get by the mound, and I saw Superman at second base."


Azure_Horizon posted:

I like Malazan, but man, does it ever get dense and complicated. I would say... too complicated for its own good. I'll still finish the series, but after the ninth book I'm honestly really lost.

Ya I'm the same way. I think it's really sloppy writing how overcomplicated everything it is. It really isn't a sign of sophistication or anything elegant. No need to have 12 races, 3 different pantheons of gods, god knows how many continents and cities, 400 people in your dramatis personae and then alternate between them in your books. I'll still read the last one but yeesh.

On an unrelated note, I finished Gridlinked by Neil Asher the other day and yeaaa don't think I'll be reading any of his other ones.

SmokinDan
Oct 24, 2010


I like Erikson and love a good mythology but got sick of his writing style after Toll the Hounds.

Ape Gone Insane
Dec 10, 2010



Can anybody give me a pointer on which of the following series' are worth reading first, if at all?

The Sword of Truth
Wheel of Time
A Song of Ice and Fire

DEVILDOGOOORAH
Aug 2, 2010

~Animu fan~


Ape Gone Insane posted:

Can anybody give me a pointer on which of the following series' are worth reading first, if at all?

The Sword of Truth
Wheel of Time
A Song of Ice and Fire

I finished the first book of the wheel of time not so long ago. It was my first time reading a fantasy book and it wasn't so bad, going to go through some other books and read the 2nd soon enough. I guess the series gets painful towards the 2nd half but I can't comment on that yet.

Haven't read the other series you have listed to make a proper comparison though, sorry.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Ape Gone Insane posted:

Can anybody give me a pointer on which of the following series' are worth reading first, if at all?

The Sword of Truth
Wheel of Time
A Song of Ice and Fire

This is why Sword of Truth is bad : http://sandstormreviews.blogspot.co...d-parodies.html

The other two are both good in their own ways but have problems. The main difference is that

1) In October of 2005, a new Wheel of Time book and a new Song of Ice and Fire book both came out.

2) Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time, then died. George R R Martin, author of Song of Ice and Fire, is still alive.

3) Since October 2005, two additional Wheel of Time books have been published based on Jordan's notes. They're both surprisingly good considering they were written by a dead guy.

4) No further Song of Ice and Fire books have been published since October 2005. Martin has, however, blogged regularly.

HeroOfTheRevolution
Apr 26, 2008



What's been published of ASoIaF is still probably some of the best fantasy ever written. It's definitely much better than Jordan, but yeah it will probably never be finished. Of course you could just wait for the HBO mini series premiering in April.

mllaneza
Apr 28, 2007

Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1993-1952

HeroOfTheRevolution posted:

What's been published of ASoIaF is still probably some of the best fantasy ever written. It's definitely much better than Jordan, but yeah it will probably never be finished. Of course you could just wait for the HBO mini series premiering in April.

HBO is gonna be pissed when they run out of stuff to film. Then again, the third book lost me, not least because of all the awesome stuff that happened "offscreen" at the end.

Puffins
Apr 29, 2009


Ape Gone Insane posted:

Can anybody give me a pointer on which of the following series' are worth reading first, if at all?

The Sword of Truth
Wheel of Time
A Song of Ice and Fire
Ignore the Sword of Truth completely. It's bad, and not even in a fun bad kind of way, just plain awful.

Wheel of Time is one of the best fantasy series in my opinion, it doesn't really try anything new but it does what it does very well, especially if you start reading it now and don't have to wait long periods for new books. It's also one of the few fantasy series that are just as interesting to read a second time due to all the subtle hints you missed the first(and probably second) time through.

Ice and Fire is a bit different from classical fantasy in that it tries to be more realistic, more dark etc. It succeeds very well but as previously mentioned, don't ever expect a resolution to the story, it's still worth reading though.

Miss-Bomarc
Aug 1, 2009


I guess I'd say "have you read any other fantasy adventure series? If not, then read Wheel Of Time. If you have, then read Song Of Ice And Fire."

Kilson
Jan 16, 2003

I EAT LITTLE CHILDREN FOR BREAKFAST !!11!!1!!!!111!

Puffins posted:

Wheel of Time is one of the best fantasy series in my opinion, it doesn't really try anything new but it does what it does very well, especially if you start reading it now and don't have to wait long periods for new books. It's also one of the few fantasy series that are just as interesting to read a second time due to all the subtle hints you missed the first(and probably second) time through.

I've read all the WOT books, but never did any rereads until now. I would say the series is definitely better on reread. And the two books that are called the worst (8 and 10) aren't really so bad if you don't have to wait years for the next book.

Overall, the WOT has some weaknesses (what doesn't?), but it's really a great series.

Habibi
Dec 8, 2004

By your powers combined,
I am Captain Playoffs!


Flatscan posted:

The palsy is nowhere near as bad as you might think and is pretty much due to him being a junky, addicted to elfroot and other stuff. Also Nighteyes was getting old and nearing the end of his life, his infirmities and lethargy were transmitted to Fitz across the bond.

There's also the fact that some people just want to live alone in peace, not dash around killing villains and loving princesses. You should probably give those books another chance when you're a bit older, you may get more out of them. Avoid the Soldier Son trilogy though, those are poo poo.

So how much older than 29 should I be? At what point in my life does this coming-of-age story of a young royal bastard become more contextually engrossing?

I get that some of that stuff is explained away in the follow-up series, which is great and all, but it doesn't change that the original trilogy, as a stand-alone, has a depressing and unsatisfying ending. Literally dozens of things could have been done to improve it without negating the emotional impact of Fitz getting the short end of the straw.

silly posted:

Ya I'm the same way. I think it's really sloppy writing how overcomplicated everything it is. It really isn't a sign of sophistication or anything elegant. No need to have 12 races, 3 different pantheons of gods, god knows how many continents and cities, 400 people in your dramatis personae and then alternate between them in your books. I'll still read the last one but yeesh.
Eh, to those of us who enjoy the Malazan series, it's that complexity that plays a huge role in making it interesting. Yeah, they're not light reading, but neither are they sloppy (it's actually quite amazing how the details all come together, and how well layered they are). The Malazan series to me is the Babylon 5 of the written fantasy genre. Complexity, tons of characters, a whole lot of interaction among seemingly disparate storylines, a history that gets filled in as you go (and which makes the second reading/viewing better than the first), and a slow start that turns a lot of people off. And, frankly, I've yet to find another author (in any genre) that writes such rollercoaster conclusions.

Blog Free or Die
Apr 30, 2005

FOR THE MOTHERLAND

Habibi posted:

I get that some of that stuff is explained away in the follow-up series, which is great and all, but it doesn't change that the original trilogy, as a stand-alone, has a depressing and unsatisfying ending. Literally dozens of things could have been done to improve it without negating the emotional impact of Fitz getting the short end of the straw.

I felt that the ending made sense. If it had gone upbeat it would've felt jarring considering everything that happens in the books. Fitz is a royal bastard; they don't usually get happy endings.

I also found it satisfying. He doesn't get the girl, but he can live content knowing she's secure and happy. Fitz is free to live an uneventful life, something he's longed for after a lifetime of manipulation.

Sure, there's another trilogy, but I feel the first stands on its own.

I dunno maybe we have different definitions of 'short end of the straw' and 'good endings'.

Flatscan
Mar 27, 2001

Outlaw Journalist



Habibi posted:

So how much older than 29 should I be? At what point in my life does this coming-of-age story of a young royal bastard become more contextually engrossing?

That comment was directed at coyo7e and the nature of his complaints. As for your question, I would imagine the ending would become more "contextually engrossing" when you become mature enough to realise that walking away and living a quiet life can be just as happy an ending as becoming king, if not more so. He didn't get everything he wanted, but who the hell does?

Habibi
Dec 8, 2004

By your powers combined,
I am Captain Playoffs!


Blog Free or Die posted:

I felt that the ending made sense. If it had gone upbeat it would've felt jarring considering everything that happens in the books. Fitz is a royal bastard; they don't usually get happy endings.

I also found it satisfying. He doesn't get the girl, but he can live content knowing she's secure and happy. Fitz is free to live an uneventful life, something he's longed for after a lifetime of manipulation.

Sure, there's another trilogy, but I feel the first stands on its own.

I dunno maybe we have different definitions of 'short end of the straw' and 'good endings'.

As I said, I have no problem with the end being depressing and with Fitz getting the proverbial short straw. Again, my two favorite fantasy series' are Malazan and SoIaF, so it's not like I have an aversion to sad conclusions. It's more the manner in which it reached the conclusion that I felt was subpar. Unlike some, I didn't feel that the ending was a logical extension of the story that got you there, and it ended up feeling totally forced and seemingly depressing solely for the purpose of being depressing bucking a trend of happy endings. And this doesn't even get into the various plotholes and sudden near-deus ex machina revelations that are used - especially in that 3rd book - to keep advancing the story. A "good" ending is not necessarily a "happy" ending, and given the option of "good" and "happy" I would opt for "good" every time. This one, IMO, didn't meet that criteria.

Habibi
Dec 8, 2004

By your powers combined,
I am Captain Playoffs!


Flatscan posted:

That comment was directed at coyo7e and the nature of his complaints. As for your question, I would imagine the ending would become more "contextually engrossing" when you become mature enough to realise that walking away and living a quiet life can be just as happy an ending as becoming king, if not more so. He didn't get everything he wanted, but who the hell does?

And I don't think in any of my comments on the series and its shortcomings have I mentioned a dissatisfaction with Fitz not becoming king, getting the girl, etc... or a problem with him electing to live as a hermit. In general, I can appreciate all of these things. That's not the problem. The problem is that the ending - really, the entire last book - seemed like it was forced and artificial. So at what point can I expect to become mature enough to realize that forced and artificial-feeling plot points / storylines are a good thing?

Lyon
Apr 17, 2003


I tend to agree the third book is the weakest. The whole quest to find the magical dragons that will save the world, oh wait they aren't REAL dragons, but we can bring them to life and they will save the world, oh no Verity is now a stone dragon, good thing I knocked up his wife! was kind of lame. It was just sort of weird but at least it was hinted at throughout the books. I was cool with the actual ending, just some of the book did feel off.

The first two books I really liked though, I love stuff like when he's learning his trade/skills. Book two was cool because I felt it was pretty realistic, he doesn't want to be an assassin anymore because he doesn't like it, wants to marry Molly, etc only to realize that now Chade has to fulfill all those duties. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it doesn't have to be done blah blah.

Ok, I promise that's my last comment on Farseer trilogy before we derail this too far.

Bullio
May 11, 2004

Seriously...



I there a Hobb thread around here somewhere. The books, while decent, really aren't worth arguing over. There's better out there.

Nthing the "Stay away from Sword of Truth" and pretty much anything remotely connected to Goodkind. Horrible author. Horrible books. All around horrible person.

Wheel of Time will always hold a fond place in my heart because it was the first epic fantasy I read. I quit after book 9, because by that time I was tired of rereading the whole series every time a new book came out. They were spaced pretty far apart. Not on an epic GRRM scale, but it was a bit of a wait.

ASoIaF. Great writing, good story, literary blueballs. Fat gently caress's going to die before the next book comes out.

Malazan Book of the Fallen: It's easy to get frustrated, especially with the excessive philosophizing. However, these books really reward you on rereads. Plus, this is the first epic fantasy series that I can actually finish. The final book comes out this month. I can't wait to get through it again so I can actually have a third reread and see what things I didn't pick up on previously.

Regarding Sandman Slim, I see all the praise being trumpeted for it and I'm honestly surprised. Although Skutter is making me rethink my reservations because I felt the same way he did. It felt like self insertion fiction written by a some dipshit trying to show what his idea of a badass is. Of course, this was right after an attempt at Brent Weeks's Night Angel trilogy which was just horrible, so maybe I went in with some preconceived notions about it. I still have the book so I might give it another try since it seems to have found some fans here.

Question: How does Sandman Slim stand in comparison to Dresden or Felix Castor since I've read all those and loved them?

shrughes
Oct 11, 2008

(call/cc call/cc)


Bullio posted:

Question: How does Sandman Slim stand in comparison to Dresden or Felix Castor since I've read all those and loved them?

I posted my review of Sandman Slim in the What Did You Just Finish? thread, and compared to Dresden, it's really, really weak. For a few points of comparison: Dresden has: a likable protagonist, likable supporting characters, likable evil antagonists, evil antagonists that are fun to hate, likable neutral characters, and enjoyable plots. Every character in Slim is a loser, the plot sucks, everything sucks, and it's a book full of hate. Imagine a version of Dresden where: Dresden is a hateful rear end, McAnally's gets visits from neo-nazis, Molly is a manipulative bitch, McCoy is boring and doesn't have an awesome name, Hendricks is a loser, Marcone is a douche, and angels work for the DHS. And the whole magical world consists of Heaven, Hell, magicians, and the Jem'Hadar.

Stupid_Sexy_Flander
Mar 14, 2007

Is a man not entitled to the haw of his maw?


Bullio posted:

Question: How does Sandman Slim stand in comparison to Dresden or Felix Castor since I've read all those and loved them?

It's not really a comparison. Granted, I haven't read all the Castor novels, but I am working on it.

Dresden and Castor are written as actual urban fantasy. The leads are always good guys with foibles and the bad guys are also well liked and pretty much have their own personalities.

Sandman Slim is more like Urban fantasy had wild sex with airport fiction, and this is it's bastard child. The main characters are all pretty much assholes, and the protagonist is basically a magic jesus who is a very bad man. There is a lot more action based stuff in these books than in either Dresden or Castor. Less magic as well. There is SOME magic, and there is the heaven/hell thing as mentioned. Also zombies and vampires and immortals. It's slowly shaping up to be a pretty big world.

That being said, the series is pretty good, to me. I went into it expecting airport fiction where the good guy is a snarky rear end, and the bad guy is a baby stomping dog kicking no tip leaving assmaster, and holy poo poo that is what I got.

I love the Dresden files, but these books (to me) are pretty good as well. They aren't good in the same way though. Different writing styles, sort of like Harry Potter vs Dresden Files.

I think there is a free preview of it on amazon, so you can give it a shot.

funkybottoms
Oct 28, 2010

Funky Bottoms is a land man

Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:

Sandman Slim is more like Urban fantasy had wild sex with airport fiction, and this is it's bastard child. The main characters are all pretty much assholes, and the protagonist is basically a magic jesus who is a very bad man. There is a lot more action based stuff in these books than in either Dresden or Castor. Less magic as well. There is SOME magic, and there is the heaven/hell thing as mentioned. Also zombies and vampires and immortals. It's slowly shaping up to be a pretty big world.

That being said, the series is pretty good, to me. I went into it expecting airport fiction where the good guy is a snarky rear end, and the bad guy is a baby stomping dog kicking no tip leaving assmaster, and holy poo poo that is what I got.

in other words, Sandman Slim is basically a trashy, kinda ridiculous b-movie and is pretty fun if treated as such.

Neurosis
Jun 10, 2003

All right, all right, spare me your life's story.


JD-Smith posted:



2. "ghost ship" type stories like.. Aliens, or Dead Space, Event Horizon etc. Stories similar to isolation and unknown like "The Thing" doesn't necessarily have to be in space but just that kind of creepy exploration or unknown threat type of situation. Sorry for being so vague.. I'd like them for Kindle as well.

Blindsight by Peter Watts. It is probably the best example of hard sci-fi I have read in the past decade. I won't waste too many more words describing it, and will instead crib a quote from Charles Stross: "Imagine a neurobiology-obsessed version of Greg Egan writing a first contact with aliens story from the point of view of a zombie posthuman crewman aboard a starship captained by a vampire, with not dying as the boobie prize." The aliens are really, truly alien and there is a deep sense of hopelessness.

It is available online here: http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

The only warning I will give is that Watts can sometimes get too caught up in an interesting scientific phenomenon which means that his novels sometime seem like lectures.

Hedrigall
Mar 27, 2008

*grunt*


Neurosis posted:

Blindsight by Peter Watts. It is probably the best example of hard sci-fi I have read in the past decade. I won't waste too many more words describing it, and will instead crib a quote from Charles Stross: "Imagine a neurobiology-obsessed version of Greg Egan writing a first contact with aliens story from the point of view of a zombie posthuman crewman aboard a starship captained by a vampire, with not dying as the boobie prize." The aliens are really, truly alien and there is a deep sense of hopelessness.

Seconding this recommendation, it is both the scariest book I have ever read and one of the most interesting in terms of the scientific ideas he uses. Oh, you kind of need to know your biology though.

Neurosis posted:

It is available online here: http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

I bought a copy and did not regret it even when I found out it was free online. One of the most notable times I've felt that the author deserved every cent he got from me buying it.

quote:

The only warning I will give is that Watts can sometimes get too caught up in an interesting scientific phenomenon which means that his novels sometime seem like lectures.

However he uses this talent to great effect on the aforementioned website, where there is a 1-hour, narrated powerpoint presentation on vampires which manages to be scientifically fascinating and hilarious at the same time!

Neurosis
Jun 10, 2003

All right, all right, spare me your life's story.


Yes, that powerpoint presentation does loving rule. Peter Watts owns so much and I can't wait for State of Grace. Hard sci-fi with good prose and characters, gently caress yeah.

Speaking of hard as diamond sci-fi, can anyone here comment on Greg Egan and which novels of his might be worth picking up? Prima facie, Diaspora looks pretty interesting.

Hedrigall
Mar 27, 2008

*grunt*


If anyone else wants to watch it, it's here: http://www.rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm

It doesn't spoil anything from the novel and it stands alone as a pretty fine and funny piece of science fiction multimedia.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

The Deadly Hume
May 26, 2004

I want some of that pepper steak!


Neurosis posted:

Yes, that powerpoint presentation does loving rule. Peter Watts owns so much and I can't wait for State of Grace. Hard sci-fi with good prose and characters, gently caress yeah.

Speaking of hard as diamond sci-fi, can anyone here comment on Greg Egan and which novels of his might be worth picking up? Prima facie, Diaspora looks pretty interesting.
Yeah, been a fan of his for a good while, Diaspora's one of my favourites of his, so it might be a good start. There's sometimes bits in his novels where it gets a bit abstract, like he's hitting you with his research (though not to the Nam-Shub of Enki degree, fortunately), I think in Diaspora he managed to get that complexity across while still keeping things rolling along.

I also enjoyed Distress and Permutation City but they might be a little dated now, Diaspora was the first one that really clicked with me.

I haven't picked up Zendegi yet and I've had the one before that (Incandescence) kicking around on the to-read pile for too long, so I'm a little out of date, the last one I've read is Teranesia which is a while back, which was also quite good. He took a bit of a break from writing in the mid-00s to do some refugee advocacy here in Australia but he's back on the bike now.

Sounds like I'll have to check out Peter Watts in return going by your descriptions.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply
«213 »