SF & F Mega-thread: I had to google 'spock pirate depilatory'

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > SF & F Mega-thread: I had to google 'spock pirate depilatory'

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withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Only 7 bux too. :-/

# ¿ Oct 17, 2019 03:23

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 11:54

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

StrixNebulosa posted:

My review of Steel Frame by Andrew Skinner:

Rook is the protagonist, a women who flies giant mechas, who spent her career rescuing downed jockeys from battlefields and getting them to medics. PTSD caught up with her, and a traumatic incident put her in jail, into a chain-gang on a giant starship stationed in the broken part of outer space.

The Eye. The ocean, a region of space that has so much debris and strange physics going on that it's an ocean instead of void. Time works differently here. The various megacorps who constantly fight each other for the rest of space have a tense truce in the Eye, because it's all unexplored and there are treasures inside. Maybe.

So Rook has been taken from prison and put into this region of space and because her megacorp isn't sure this place is profitable, its ships are crewed by an increasing ratio of convicts.

This is where she meets the Juno. Her new giant mech, her shell. It's an antique, a prototype that's violent when she first meets it: it's rebelling, breaking from its restraints and trying to eke out a bit of space in its hangar. The only reason they can talk it down from more violence is because Rook is given its old jockey's helmet, which she uses to talk to it - but it forgives the deception and takes her as its pilot.

Juno's old and traumatized from losing its old pilots. Rook's traumatized from losing jockeys she couldn't rescue in time. They're both traumatized but they fly well together, and if you as a reader cannot approach these two characters ready to try to understand them, this book won't work. It's entirely from Rook's POV.

The plot? The plot is: Rook's part of a four-man unit of jockeys sent to explore some of the ruins in the ocean. They don't so much find horror as it finds them, and the plot escalates in action and horror: there's a devastating virus, there's an imprisoned thing, there are the other megacorps, and there's Rook's unit: Hail, another convict who leads them all. Salt, a giant of a man who carries his own trauma. Locust. Andrade.

This book goes surprisingly wide, filling in details about the wars outside the ocean, where these broken convicts came from. It fills in the story of the megacorp they work for, the ones they're aiming against, everything.

The book stays narrow, staying in Rook's head and following only what she's involved in.

It's so deep, though. Rook is so, so compelling and understandable, and the Juno alien in the right ways, understandable in the right ways.

I didn't know I could find a sci-fi book that hits everything I want: military sci-fi action, deep introspective psychological drama, horror, alien things, etc. Everything in this book sings just right and I didn't know it could exist without me having to write it.

Author? You did good.

Reader of this review? You gotta read this book. You gotta. The prose is hypnotic and you could drown in it. You deserve to enjoy this book.

Just finished this and anyone not currently reading it is Making A Mistake.

I have no idea why a centuries-old, rusting space dreadnought is such a satisfying setting.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2019 01:45

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

What an awful tweet.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2019 15:22

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Drone posted:

Over the last few years I've been going back and occasionally hitting some of the foundational works of sci-fi that I missed over the years

Last year I finished Dune for the first time and loved it. This weekend I read through Dune Messiah.

I knew going into it that most people think Dune Messiah... ain't great. And yeah, it ain't great. I enjoyed it but despite its short length I still felt it dragged. Now I sorta get what people mean when they say "just read the first book and forget everything else that comes after it."

Hayt/Duncan is a pretty cool character though!

That being said I've already queued up Children of Dune to come back to after I get a lighter non-Frank Herbert palate cleanser in between

Actually what they say is read until you hit a book you don't like, then stop because it doesn't get any better beyond that point. This may happen sometime in the 2nd book or the 3rd book. If you make it farther than that then seek medical attention.

# ¿ Nov 10, 2019 22:06

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

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).

# ¿ Dec 4, 2019 06:56

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

DACK FAYDEN posted:

I gotta admit I'm a little curious what a drug-sniffing dog picks up from a loaf of bread

I'm skeptical that it was the coriander, and I assume the cop had no specific reason to frame this particular package (because the dogs pick up on their handlers), but who knows?

Drug dogs pick up whatever their handlers want them to pick up.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2019 20:16

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Unisex bathroom is where I go if I�m not sure whether I want to pick up a lady or a dude.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2020 20:05

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Black Griffon posted:

This looks neat, but I think the only Robinson I've read is Red Mars many many years ago, and I might even be wrong about that. Is 2312 good?

It is good but pretty wild IIRC.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2020 20:21

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

It was a good book IMO.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2020 08:23

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Black Griffon posted:

Is there some way to trick Amazon when the deals aren't international? It's always such a bummer.

Temporarily switch your address to something in-country. Switch it back after purchase.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2020 01:38

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

I was definitely able to buy UK ebooks in the US after changing my shipping address to 10 Downing Street. Though that was several years ago so maybe they have since plugged the loophole.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2020 02:57

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

a foolish pianist posted:

Tor.com has this ridiculously charming short story A Guide for Working Breeds up right now:

https://www.tor.com/2020/03/17/a-guide-for-working-breeds-vina-jie-min-prasad/

This is delightful, but I am seriously disappointed in the lack of a link for the zero-g corgis in bowties video.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2020 03:24

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Black Griffon posted:

read dawnhounds you cowards

Can't understand why they won't.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2020 22:19

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:

Friendly reminder that Angry Robot has their entire catalog on sale at the moment for 50% off, no minimum or maximum, if you use the code SHELFISOLATION.

I snagged 3 books I'd been looking forward to for not only cheaper than they would have been off amazon BEFORE the coupon, but with the coupon it came up to like 9 bucks.

Which ones are good.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2020 23:23

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

NK Jemisin

# ¿ Apr 3, 2020 06:19

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Black Griffon posted:

Oh hey, this one's cheap here too. Anyone know what it is?

I stopped halfway through because it read like a video game novelization.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2020 23:02

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

In the membership form:

[ ] Check here to indicate that you take S.F. seriously.

Bing bong so simple.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2020 18:49

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

rocode posted:

Just got the email for this!

A little confused by this line, though:

Amazing plot twist

# ¿ Apr 28, 2020 16:01

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Probably at least 100!

# ¿ Apr 28, 2020 16:57

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

What

# ¿ May 15, 2020 19:16

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Chuck Tingle is not semi hard.

# ¿ May 25, 2020 05:25

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

It�s derogatory in the same way that �dive bar� is.

# ¿ May 25, 2020 15:03

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

StrixNebulosa posted:

Why?

It's a good book OP.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2020 02:25

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Ccs posted:

Has anyone read Ninth House? It was at the top of Goodreads list of fantasy books for 2019 but some of the reviews look pretty mixed. Premise sounds interesting enough though.
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2019

I liked it.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2020 17:12

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

space marine todd posted:

A fun little pick-me-up of a short story in Tor:

Everything�s Fine

nice

# ¿ Jul 27, 2020 20:04

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

What book does someone's dick get ripped off by an alien crab?

# ¿ Jul 28, 2020 01:54

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Just trying to make sure that I�m not missing out on any important references. The chair one is easy.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2020 02:31

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

I am also of the March 1, 2020 fellowship. My breath is literally bated in anticipation.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2020 05:44

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

If this technology doesn't work as expected then there will be hell to pay.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2020 04:17

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Update: the technology worked as expected.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2020 05:07

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Red Mars is great.

I would recommend Perdido Street Station but if you haven�t read it already then WTF.

# ¿ Aug 16, 2020 23:14

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

Tor is giving away a sampler of novelas: Fantasy from Asia and the Asian Diaspora

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D8849V6/

# ¿ Aug 28, 2020 16:43

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

You know you can get ebooks on a phone or a tablet right.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2020 23:29

withak: Jan 15, 2003; Fun Shoe

^^^ Buy his book.

Midgetskydiver posted:

Looking for a recommendation for a novel or series. These are the qualities I'm looking for.

-somewhat serious / gritty without going overboard (ASOIAF-like, also liked Lies of Locke Lamora)
-low magic fantasy setting (think Conan or Abercrombie)
-intrigue a plus, but more concerned with interesting characters and themes

I've read GRRM, Abercrombie, Howard, Tolkien, Scott Lynch, Robert Jordan, and liked those well enough. Wasn't a fan of Malazan because when god mages are that prevalent I just lose interest because the plight of regular people just isn't that important in the grand scheme.

I guess I'm just looking for something comparable to ASOIAF but with an author who still writes.

Thanks!