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I bounced of The Powder Mage super-hard as well. I'm not sure I even got far enough to see all the bad stuff, just failed to grip me from the start and I abandoned it rapidly.
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Dec 3, 2019 13:43
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Even though I liked it I think The Thousand Names did essentially the same concept but better.
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Dec 3, 2019 13:54
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Larry Parrish posted:Even though I liked it I think The Thousand Names did essentially the same concept but better.
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Dec 3, 2019 15:17
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Look beggars cant be choosers in the insanely small field of 18th century military fantasy.
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Dec 3, 2019 16:19
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Larry Parrish posted:Look beggars cant be choosers in the insanely small field of 18th century military fantasy. The first Temeraire novel was not horrible and I got so excited Hoo booy black diamond downhill slope there
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Dec 3, 2019 16:28
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The first Temeraire novel was not horrible and I got so excited Yeah 
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Dec 3, 2019 16:31
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Larry Parrish posted:Look beggars cant be choosers in the insanely small field of 18th century military fantasy. Bhodi fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Dec 3, 2019 |
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Dec 3, 2019 16:40
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Bhodi posted:Aubrey–Maturin is so good. I'm on the 5th book in the series and Jack is already old and seasoned so I don't know how he can squeeze 15 more books out of this. That's science fiction, not fantasy.
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Dec 3, 2019 17:51
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90s Cringe Rock posted:That's science fiction, not fantasy. Padeen is a sidhe. That's why time turns funny in the later books. https://www.tor.com/2011/01/31/the-chief-argosy-of-your-command-patrick-obrians-the-commodore/ Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Dec 3, 2019 |
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Dec 3, 2019 18:18
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Padeen is a sidhe. That's why time turns funny in the later books. quote:I always remember the very wet camping holiday in Brittany when I was reduced to reading what everyone else had brought with them, which turned out to be The One Tree, Kajira of Gor, Wide Sargasso Sea and a Wilbur Smith book That ... must have been one hell of a weird group of people to go camping with
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Dec 3, 2019 21:05
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Bhodi posted:Aubrey–Maturin is so good. I'm on the 5th book in the series and Jack is already old and seasoned so I don't know how he can squeeze 15 more books out of this. It bugs me that these are such cult classics and yet nobody seems to have done a long, deep dive recap/discussion podcast about them.
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Dec 3, 2019 23:55
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Any opinions on Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes? I haven't read his other stuff but the first two books in this series are on sale today. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079RCCRM6/
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Dec 3, 2019 23:55
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pradmer posted:Any opinions on Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes? I haven't read his other stuff but the first two books in this series are on sale today. It wears its influences on it's sleeve. Mainly Final Fantasy games. At that price I say go for it, it's entertaining enough. Also the second one isn't actually on sale, it's just a novella.
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Dec 4, 2019 03:47
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Any opinions on The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington? I see the final book is out next week. Currently struggling to finish the second Alec Huston Raveling book and might switch if the Licanius books are decent. Also if anyone has read the Raveling trilogy is the 3rd book better enough to make it worth continuing?
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Dec 4, 2019 03:50
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pradmer posted:Any opinions on Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes? I haven't read his other stuff but the first two books in this series are on sale today. I have not read Seven Blades in Black but I will say that Sam Sykes writes very good snark and very hateable characters, do with that as you will.
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Dec 4, 2019 04:35
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freebooter posted:It bugs me that these are such cult classics and yet nobody seems to have done a long, deep dive recap/discussion podcast about them. Jo Walton did a re-read on Tor.com, it's words you have to read yourself, but it was both entertaining and informative. I went through it in parallel with my first read of the series. Look, it's a 20-volume SF series that doesn't crawl up it's own rear end, become insufferably pleased with itself, be unrecognizeable, or tiresomely similar by the end of the series. That's a goddamn literary miracle. Here's a simulation of a frigate with a good model for wind and wave, https://thapen.itch.io/painted-ocean
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Dec 4, 2019 04:57
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Its because the Aubery-Marturin novels are obviously genre fiction, but well written classic genre fiction. Like how people consider Tolkien and Pratchett to be above criticism. They're insanely popular as sailing novels go, and they're probably the best written example. Ultra detailed but the writing is done in a way that it doesnt matter if the description of sails just passes you over. Hell I was actively trying to ignore the details and still felt like I knew how to be a linesman by the time I read like 6 of them in a row.
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Dec 4, 2019 05:11
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I have been reading that (only up to Master & Commander myself) but I would love an in-depth discussion by smart people that runs for like an hour or two for each book. I think because I listened to a really great podcast about The Terror and it just reminded me of Aubrey-Maturin.
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Dec 4, 2019 05:12
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pradmer posted:Any opinions on Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes? I haven't read his other stuff but the first two books in this series are on sale today. Sam is a fun twitter follow. That said, I have bounced off his first series like a goose off the window of a 747 like 3 times. Seven Blades in Black is better, but only get the first one, if you don’t dig that, you won’t dig the rest.
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Dec 4, 2019 05:52
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Fried Sushi posted:Any opinions on The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington? I see the final book is out next week. Currently struggling to finish the second Alec Huston Raveling book and might switch if the Licanius books are decent. Also if anyone has read the Raveling trilogy is the 3rd book better enough to make it worth continuing? I wouldn't recommend the Licanius Trilogy, although it probably depends on what you're looking for. There are four main/POV characters, three of them are effectively high school/college kids that are very bland and constantly do stupid poo poo yet get rewarded for it. One example that I always remember is two of the boys are on the run, in the middle of a country where just using their magic would get them instantly caught and executed, and they need cash. What do they do? They walk up to a group playing a card game that is only be played by those who hunt the magic users, such as the two boys, then they proceed to trick the players as if they're badass hunters themselves and take all their cash, including a brief moment where one of the other players puts down his sword which is worth way more than the bet, loses, tries to kill the boy playing the game, and the boy magically moves faster than ever before/possible and stabs the other player with his own sword. While a minor incident, that kind of describes the sequence of events for those three as a whole. And of those three, one is a prophecy child with powers of those killed years ago, the other is the son of a Baron/King/something like that, and the third is notable because.... wait a second... it's going to come to me... oh yeah because the author realized he needed a girl, which is basically her claim to fame and notability in the story. Complete with free romance/love interest plot. The final character is the only interesting one, but instead of actually going down an interesting route and playing up his unique points (which would be a heavy spoiler to even hint at, see below), instead he becomes a tool for author exposition. He's got a really interesting hook but the author basically talks you through how he thinks a character like that would play out via flashbacks and inner monologue instead of really presenting a conflicted character or playing with the idea. The only reason I've read both books is I got the audiobooks from my Library on a long trip and didn't have anything else to read, I ended up cranking up the speed far faster than I'm usually comfortable with just to get through it because it was still better than nothing. If you want to know the secret of the fourth character but I've convinced you not to read the book: He's actually an ancient person that was both an "ancient evil" and a force for good at different points in time under different names and he sealed off his memories in the first book for stupid reasons and the character thinks he's actually fighting against a suspected resurgence of his evil persona until his memories are revealed. However when his memories are revealed instead of a conflicted character trying to figure out who he is the whole second book is just a mix of oddly placed and out of sequence memories of his past the author is using to dump exposition on you about how the character is going to resolve his internal conflict. There are "reasons" for everything but the author kind of just tells you why so the underlying justification of what's going doesn't make sense, all this is happening because the author wants it to happen and never figured out how to make it all coherent in the world, at least of yet.
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Dec 4, 2019 05:55
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Started The Second Sleep, not sure if post apoc priestly murder mystery is a genre yet but it probably should be.
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Dec 4, 2019 06:27
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Aubrey-Maturin might as well be hard sci-fi for anyone not an expert tallship sailor. The reader is plucked down in the middle of this world full of mystifying jargon and complex systems and if you pay enough attention through the course of the story the author helps you puzzle out how most of it works. In conclusion: read the books, they rule. Then go back and read all 20 again to get everything you missed the first time through (this will not be a chore).
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Dec 4, 2019 06:56
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Sykes shitposted hard enough on twitter to get a movie made about his shitposts. That's gotta be some kinda record. In case you are wondering, You Might Be The Killer is the movie I'm talking about (and it's actually pretty good).
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Dec 4, 2019 07:00
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Unironically Auburey Marturin is the only series of books that are all basically identical that I didnt get tired of. I stopped at like #18 but like, it took a lot of willpower to read all 9 Lost Fleet books when I realized they were all going to be essentially identical to the first. (Which is why I actually like the spin off about the syndicate splinter state). Something about the way my man does his writing is just calming I guess. Makes you want to go back and time and join the navy from 250 years ago I guess. Anyway I've read like 5 of the Ethshar books now and it's truly hilarious how Valder of the Magic Sword just perfectly mirrors the attitude of everyone he talks to. He's kind of an rear end in a top hat to the rude rich kid from the one about dragons, but hes extremely nice and respectful to the somewhat stupid but very well meaning farm boy from Taking Flight
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Dec 4, 2019 14:17
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nessin posted:I wouldn't recommend the Licanius Trilogy, although it probably depends on what you're looking for. Thanks sounds like I'll pass for now.
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Dec 4, 2019 16:04
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The current Storybundle has some pretty interesting stuff in it--a lot of big authors but often lesser-known titles or essays and things like that. Basically an exploration of authors speaking out in one way or another.
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Dec 4, 2019 16:45
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90s Cringe Rock posted:That's science fiction, not fantasy. Well, the difference between fantasy and sci-fi is whether a wizard or a scientist/alien did it so.........
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Dec 4, 2019 19:48
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Cardiac posted:Well, the difference between fantasy and sci-fi is whether a wizard or a scientist/alien did it so......... Hey, sometimes they're wizard scientists or computational demonologists.
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Dec 4, 2019 20:30
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Finally got my hands on the first Murderbot book from the library, downloaded it to my phone and started reading it on commutes. After a little reading it felt like the story was just getting started, I was looking forward to seeing what happens next...and then I noticed that the progress bar was at 70%. I was warned that the books were short but seeing it up close is another matter. The only question remaining is why the library hold times are so long for each book when they only take a few hours to read. Return your stuff rather than waiting for the checkout to expire, dammit! 
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Dec 4, 2019 20:41
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wizzardstaff posted:Finally got my hands on the first Murderbot book from the library, downloaded it to my phone and started reading it on commutes. After a little reading it felt like the story was just getting started, I was looking forward to seeing what happens next...and then I noticed that the progress bar was at 70%. This is a (very minor) pet peeve of mine, too. I have three Overdrive accounts at three separate libraries, and their app makes it super easy to return books. It also very nicely tells you when there's a wait list on a book you have checked out, so there's been a few times where I got a book that was on hold, but realized I'd never get around to reading it before the checkout expired, so I just return it so the next person can get it a little quicker. Or I have books on hold for ages, forget, buy the book, then months later get the same book from each Overdrive account in short succession.
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Dec 4, 2019 20:54
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It may help to know that the four Murderbot novellas are basically one big book carved into four chapters.
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Dec 4, 2019 21:00
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The first Temeraire novel was not horrible and I got so excited I liked them until they went to fuckin Australia or whatever.
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Dec 4, 2019 21:29
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Larry Parrish posted:Unironically Auburey Marturin is the only series of books that are all basically identical that I didnt get tired of. I stopped at like #18 but like, it took a lot of willpower to read all 9 Lost Fleet books when I realized they were all going to be essentially identical to the first. (Which is why I actually like the spin off about the syndicate splinter state). Something about the way my man does his writing is just calming I guess. Makes you want to go back and time and join the navy from 250 years ago I guess. After a while you may start talking like an early 19th century Navy seaman.
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Dec 4, 2019 21:47
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I got half way through the first murderbot novella and, despite how short it is, I don't know if I'm going to finish it. It feels like the entire thing is just "look at how QUIRKY the main character is!"
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Dec 4, 2019 22:20
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Hiro Protagonist posted:I got half way through the first murderbot novella and, despite how short it is, I don't know if I'm going to finish it. It feels like the entire thing is just "look at how QUIRKY the main character is!" That's hate speech. MODS
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Dec 4, 2019 22:21
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Hiro Protagonist posted:I got half way through the first murderbot novella and, despite how short it is, I don't know if I'm going to finish it. It feels like the entire thing is just "look at how QUIRKY the main character is!" I think that might just be Martha Wells' writing style, and if it's not for you, that's okay.
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Dec 4, 2019 22:30
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I don't begrudge anyone for liking it, and I can see why many people did, I just found myself rolling my eyes at everything. Speaking of stuff I didn't like that a lot of people did, can someone explain to me why Ancillary Justice was such a big deal? I mean, the use of gender-neutral she/her was an interesting idea that I think helped me reconsider some subconscious sexist assumptions I have when reading, but I didn't really enjoy anything else. It felt like the present storyline spoiled the entirety of the past storyline, and the present storyline was a lot of meandering until we got to the assassination attempt. Maybe I'm just not remembering everything, but I feel like it's success was entirely due to the pronoun usage and some admittedly cool tricks with narration from a hive-mind perspective, not the world or the characters.
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Dec 4, 2019 22:43
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Hiro Protagonist posted:Speaking of stuff I didn't like that a lot of people did, can someone explain to me why Ancillary Justice was such a big deal? I mean, the use of gender-neutral she/her was an interesting idea that I think helped me reconsider some subconscious sexist assumptions I have when reading, but I didn't really enjoy anything else. It felt like the present storyline spoiled the entirety of the past storyline, and the present storyline was a lot of meandering until we got to the assassination attempt. Maybe I'm just not remembering everything, but I feel like it's success was entirely due to the pronoun usage and some admittedly cool tricks with narration from a hive-mind perspective, not the world or the characters. This is correct. The sequels were liked because people have an apparent passion for tea. Certainly few other merits suggested themselves.
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Dec 4, 2019 22:53
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Ancillary Justice was interesting because it was told from an alien perspective (both the gender-is-a-construct-of-society thing and ancient-AI-in-a-human-body thing) and it did a good job of that narrative thing where the past flashbacks and present-day events are both leading up to the same revelation and climax. Which is why the second and third books weren't as good as the first, they couldn't rely on the Big Reveal and just had to tell conventional stories.
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Dec 4, 2019 22:55
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Hiro Protagonist posted:I don't begrudge anyone for liking it, and I can see why many people did, I just found myself rolling my eyes at everything. quote:Speaking of stuff I didn't like that a lot of people did, can someone explain to me why Ancillary Justice was such a big deal? I mean, the use of gender-neutral she/her was an interesting idea that I think helped me reconsider some subconscious sexist assumptions I have when reading, but I didn't really enjoy anything else. It felt like the present storyline spoiled the entirety of the past storyline, and the present storyline was a lot of meandering until we got to the assassination attempt. Maybe I'm just not remembering everything, but I feel like it's success was entirely due to the pronoun usage and some admittedly cool tricks with narration from a hive-mind perspective, not the world or the characters. I'm with you on that though; I also tried hard to get in to Ancillary Justice and just couldn't make it.
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Dec 4, 2019 23:10
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