Return of the Book Thread

[WayAbvPar]

Heads up for Archer fans- Kindle version of How to Archer is on sale.

[Ironwood]

Just finished Red Country, which was a Crimbo pressie.

And thank fuck it was :  It's Abercrombie writing a western with his fantasy characters and it reads exactly like it sounds.

Unless the idea of Logen playing Clint Eastwood appeals avoid this fucking travesty.

[ghost]

Finished up the Hobbit (for the third time) for the kids as their night time read.  Now I've gotten a little adventuresome and I'm reading them the Golden Compass.  What a great book.

[Sky]

Finished Brom's Krampus, nice christmas reading. I wouldn't give up my day job if I were him, but it was fun.

Just looking for something light and quick (I call it post-Erikson syndrome), I picked up a batman genre novel by Tracy Hickman called Wayne of Gotham. It's the batman stuff I like, heavy on the detective/character stuff. This one focuses on Bruce in modern Gotham and his father in post-war Gotham, Bruce tries to uncover mysteries of his family's past as an unknown villain leaves clues around town. Pleasant surprise.

[murdoc]

Just finished Red Country, which was a Crimbo pressie.

And thank fuck it was :  It's Abercrombie writing a western with his fantasy characters and it reads exactly like it sounds.

Unless the idea of Logen playing Clint Eastwood appeals avoid this fucking travesty.

Good to know - I have been eyeballing this one and hadn't picked it up yet.

[Chimpy]

So last Sunday I went into the library and picked up a handful of books to tide me over through the holidays.

Picked up 2001: A Space Odyssey and finished that in a couple days.

Also picked up Fall of Giants by Ken Follett as there were several brand new copies on the paperback shelf. Am about halfway through it and I must say that while the story is not quite as engaging as Pillars of the Earth it is still a page turner and I am enjoying it overall.  I also came to the realization that it is effectively Downton Abbey in book format  . It is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy so we shall see where it goes.

[Rendakor]

I got David Wong's This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It for Christmas and I'm about halfway through it so far. It's pretty decent, but not nearly as good as JDatE. The biggest problem I have with it so far is that he switched to multiple third person narratives instead of sticking to David's perspective, and John in particular isn't nearly as entertaining when you're reading things from his POV. It's also much more serious, and not nearly as funny/crazy.

[Sky]

Bleh, in the reading chasm. Still not up to plowing through the last Erikson, they're such a slog. My go-to in betweener Modesitt is finally getting out the last book of the second Imager trilogy. Not my favorite setting and we're working through some supply chain stuff at the library so I kind of want to hold off until it's on the shelf.

Feeling sci-fi, I dunno. Hate the reading chasm. It's why I like long series.

[shiznitz]

I am 77% through Cronin's The Passage and would recommend it to most of you.  It is a post-apocalyptic novel about a virus outbreak but brings a twist to what the virus actually does to people.  Not zombies.

[Engels]

I am 77% through Cronin's The Passage and would recommend it to most of you.  It is a post-apocalyptic novel about a virus outbreak but brings a twist to what the virus actually does to people.  Not zombies.

Yah, I can recommend The Passage too. It is a loooooong epic book tho, with a sequel out already. 

I can also recommend another zombie apocalypse novel named Apocalypse Z by a spanish author named Manel Loureiro. What makes this of interest is that the main hero is a scared lawyer who essentially does everything to keep his cat alive. It sounds silly, but the main premise is that the cat helped him struggle with the loss of his wife so its an emotional anchor point. Imagine trying to contain a cat during a zombie apocalypse. That's not to say its a funny novel, although it has brief brief moments of comic relief. Its just as dire a situation as Walking Dead or any other zombie story, but this guy is not super human at all. The author tries to give a somewhat accurate rendition of what a normal, well adjusted person would  emotionally suffer through during such a thing, while keeping it readable and non-depressing. Its not The Road, but its also has a real person as a hero, not an imagined gun-toting commando.

[Rasix]

I thought the first 50% of the The Passage was great.  Was a little "meh" on the rest of it.  It was a fun read, though.  Felt like someone's homage to King.

[murdoc]

The sequel to "The Passage" is out now, too. The Twelve

Edit: Which Engels said, but didn't provide a name for.

[Ironwood]

The Great North Road wasn't up to much either.

Sigh.

[Bzalthek]

I loved The Passage, though I listened to it on audiobook, and the narrators did a great job.  I'm reading The Twelve now.  It's decent, but not up to par with The Passage.

[Ingmar]

I read Cold Days and I think it might be my last Butcher book. The uh, women issues the guy obviously has are coming through in a really uncomfortable, over the top, unignorable way. It's gotten way past the whole noir trope thing at this point. Too bad, I enjoyed the setting.

Also started reading the Culture stuff finally and am ignoring forum opinion in starting with Consider Phlebas. Honestly it is perfectly readable, I'm not sure why opinion is so against starting with it. I really prefer to always read in order of publication, and it's enjoyable so far.

EDIT: I will say I'm not sure it passes my No Ayn Rand sniff test yet but evidence is insufficient as of yet.

[dd0029]

Not up to par with The Passage.

Very much the case, though it is much more even. I didn't feel that anything really dragged the way the colony bit at the beginning did, though you pay for that by missing the really exceptional parts like the beginning with Wolgast.

[Morat20]

Also started reading the Culture stuff finally and am ignoring forum opinion in starting with Consider Phlebas. Honestly it is perfectly readable, I'm not sure why opinion is so against starting with it. I really prefer to always read in order of publication, and it's enjoyable so far.

I can't imagine someone less Ayn Rand than the Culture. It has ubiqutious survellience, criminals are dealt with my basically having a drone follow them around all the time and keep them from doing it again (and, as someone notes, even worse you don't get invited to many parties after that). There is no free market because they're post-Scarcity, people aren't actually needed -- all the work is done by Drones and Minds.

Other than it being perfectly libertarian in the social sense, which itself only comes about because the Culture as a whole curb-stomps anyone that messes with their hippy high, you can't get less Rand.

As for why not to start with Consider Phelbas -- it's less approachable than some, it's an earlier work. That's about it. It's like suggesting trying Good Omens or Guards, Guards to people who haven't tried Pratchett.

[Abagadro]

The Great North Road wasn't up to much either.

Sigh.

Bummer. That monster just arrived on my doorstep today.

[Ironwood]

It's really a soap opera and not a good one.  You'll figure out 'whodunnit' in about 2 chapters and then it's just wending your way to the wearying conclusion.

Sorry.

[Ingmar]

Also started reading the Culture stuff finally and am ignoring forum opinion in starting with Consider Phlebas. Honestly it is perfectly readable, I'm not sure why opinion is so against starting with it. I really prefer to always read in order of publication, and it's enjoyable so far.

I can't imagine someone less Ayn Rand than the Culture. It has ubiqutious survellience, criminals are dealt with my basically having a drone follow them around all the time and keep them from doing it again (and, as someone notes, even worse you don't get invited to many parties after that). There is no free market because they're post-Scarcity, people aren't actually needed -- all the work is done by Drones and Minds.

Other than it being perfectly libertarian in the social sense, which itself only comes about because the Culture as a whole curb-stomps anyone that messes with their hippy high, you can't get less Rand.

While I understand that completely, the authorial voice does not currently seem to be promoting the Culture as the "right" idea thus far in the book. I'm not jumping to any conclusions yet, but I'm pretty paranoid at this point about science fiction suddenly turning into wacko political screed because it seems to happen a lot. 

[Ironwood]

No.  If you're seeing any of that in Banks, you're projecting.

[Bzalthek]

Banks is pretty good stuff.  It's a little tedious at times, and often confusing when they jump around in time, but overall it's a good dramatic sci-fi.  Though if you're easily depressed, it could get to you, but I didn't sense any political screed being shoved down my throat.

[Zetor]

I've only read two Banks books (Against a Dark Background and Player of Games), but the only semi-political message I got from either of those was "shit is fucked up, man". Especially in Against a Dark Background.  

[ghost]

Also started reading the Culture stuff finally and am ignoring forum opinion in starting with Consider Phlebas. Honestly it is perfectly readable, I'm not sure why opinion is so against starting with it. I really prefer to always read in order of publication, and it's enjoyable so far.

I can't imagine someone less Ayn Rand than the Culture. It has ubiqutious survellience, criminals are dealt with my basically having a drone follow them around all the time and keep them from doing it again (and, as someone notes, even worse you don't get invited to many parties after that). There is no free market because they're post-Scarcity, people aren't actually needed -- all the work is done by Drones and Minds.

Other than it being perfectly libertarian in the social sense, which itself only comes about because the Culture as a whole curb-stomps anyone that messes with their hippy high, you can't get less Rand.

While I understand that completely, the authorial voice does not currently seem to be promoting the Culture as the "right" idea thus far in the book. I'm not jumping to any conclusions yet, but I'm pretty paranoid at this point about science fiction suddenly turning into wacko political screed because it seems to happen a lot. 

I think you just got to read these things for what they are.  I rarely, if ever, think about politics in a serious manner though.  It's not something that enters my thought process when I'm reading (at least not what sort of "message" the author is trying to send).  Hell, I've read Atlas Shrugged twice and just don't see what the big deal is about. 

[Bzalthek]

Some authors are bad at it though.  Those Sword of Truth books, for example. (plus they're not very good)

[TheDreamr]

Perhaps worth trying some of the other Culture books that give a more significant sense of scale to the universe before delving into the ones more focused around small groups of people -- I started with Excession as I have a massive soft spot for a good story and epic space opera, however Look to Windward achieves something similar with more focus on the human side and less on the space opera if that's not your thing.

Also worth checking whether the "culture" novel you're looking at is a full-blown Culture novel or a science-fiction novel that doesn't really focus on the culture, but has the label because it's set in the same universe -- some of these I really liked and have re-read multiple times (The Algebraist) but others I just felt a bit cheated by (Against a Dark Background, Use of Weapons, Inversions, Matter).

[Mazakiel]

While I liked the Algebraist quite a bit, Use of Weapons is still one of my favorite books that Banks has written.  

Also, it's been awhile since I read the Algebraist, so maybe my memory's fuzzy, but I thought it was set in a standalone setting. 

[Ironwood]

I won't hear a word against Use of Weapons or Inversions.

I will End You.

(I understand what you're trying to say, of course, but they are, for me, very MUCH Culture books.  It's about how these people related to the Culture and the battle they have to be .... not included in a society that doesn't care about inclusion.)

[Bzalthek]

Use of Weapons was fucking awesome.  One of the very few books which made me double take.   I need to find the later novels though, want to read them too.

[Ard]

So I just finished The Wise Man's Fear, and my god, I just don't know what to make of Rothfuss.  He's a fantastic writer who's books I can't put down, who's telling an absolutely terrible story.  The first book was Grey Mouser goes to Hogwarts, and is painfully derivative, and this one is worse in a lot of ways.  I couldn't stop reading it, but I want to tear it apart now that I'm done.   I don't think I've been this frustrated with an author since Robert Jordan.  Someone tell me I'm wrong and not getting it, because I just don't get the hype behind him.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Speaking of Robert Jordan... T- 4 days now.  I'm waffling on whether to pre-order from B&N and have the book shipped (I'll pay for faster shipping, free shipping sucks) or just head to the local store and grab a copy then.

Also - I have Excession and liked it, although I thought it was just different.  I guess I never realized it was part of a larger series of books, so now I'll have to see about picking the others up.  Hmm, I'm actually reaching a point where the books I want to read are stacking up and I might have a backlog to work through.  Quelle horreur!

[ghost]

Use of Weapons was fucking awesome.  One of the very few books which made me double take.   I need to find the later novels though, want to read them too.

Yes.  I rarely am fooled by a book.  This one managed to do so.

[Morat20]

Speaking of Robert Jordan... T- 4 days now.  I'm waffling on whether to pre-order from B&N and have the book shipped (I'll pay for faster shipping, free shipping sucks) or just head to the local store and grab a copy then.

Also - I have Excession and liked it, although I thought it was just different.  I guess I never realized it was part of a larger series of books, so now I'll have to see about picking the others up.  Hmm, I'm actually reaching a point where the books I want to read are stacking up and I might have a backlog to work through.  Quelle horreur!

Excession is a bit of a rare beast. It's a stand alone book (all the Culture novels are), but it's supposed to be grouped with Inversions (which is, in many respects, not about the Culture at all. The Culture isn't even mentioned) and Look to Windward.

The three books are all about how the Culture deals with other societies -- their rough equals, those they exceed (as much or more as they would exceed us), and those who exceed them.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Ah, good to know.  Maybe I'll see what Banks books B&N has when I stop by on Tuesday to pick up the last WOT book.  I even have permission from the husband to go buy it! 

Now I want to reread Excession again.

[Quinton]

Excession and Use of Weapons are tied for my favorite Culture books.  The reveal near the end of UoW totally caught me out of nowhere, making me flip back and reread several earlier passages, confirming some wonderful misdirection but no outright authorial cheating or lies that I could see.  Excession's collection of Minds reacting to an event (the Interesting Times Gang) and the Grey Area, among other things, are awesome.  It definitely works better if you've read a few of the earlier books first, I think.

I actually suggest starting with Consider Phlebas -- while it's a little rough in spots it is a good starting point and has the interesting feature of a protagonist who *loathes* the Culture and all they stand for.  Also you get a picture of the Idirans and the tail end of the Culture/Idiran war, a conflict that has ripple effects through many of the later books set in that universe.

It would have helped if the Culture has used some sort of emblem or logo; but, pointlessly unhelpful and unrealistic to the last, the Culture refused to put its trust in symbols.  It maintained that it was what it was and had no need for such outward representation.  The Culture was every single human and machine in it, not one thing.  Just as it could not imprison itself within laws, impoverish itself with money or misguide itself with leaders, so it would not misrepresent itself with signs.

To Ingmar's comment, I think even a number of the books where the main POV is pro-Culture raise some questions about if their approach really is "right" and there are a number of indications that underneath that post-scarcity utopian society there's plenty of shady business in the wings (often in the actions of Contact or Special Circumstances).

I do love the way Banks writes Space Opera set pieces that would be ridiculously awesome on film -- a number of moments in Consider Phlebas come to mind, as well as the events around the  at the tail end of Excession.