What Are You Reading?

ixoy

mcgovern wrote: »

I'd love another book in that universe with the Primes in it.

The Abyss beyond dreams is set in that same universe, just centuries later.

ixoy

36% into "Tomorrow, the Killing" the second book in Daniel Polansky's Low Town series. It's (so far) fairly stand alone from the first book and very enjoyable. It's definitely got the grim dark tone with a cynical humour that recalls Joe Abercrombie. A worthy purchase up to this point anyway.

Zapp Brannigan

Blaine is a pain. Blain is the truth.

Thargor

Ah its still way better than 99.9% of modern sci-fi, you just have high expectations with Hamilton.

Sleepy

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise by Chris Taylor

daUbiq

Sleepy wrote: »

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise by Chris Taylor

Any good?

Sleepy

Only picked it up in the airport last night due to a delayed flight. The author is/was a sub-editor at mashable so it's written in quite a nice magazine article style.

Enjoying it so far but only a small way into it.

Nody

Finished the Engineer trilogy; it definitely picked up in speed and it was his typical ending I'd say. Going to lean backs with the follow up series to the Paks trilogy now before going more serious again.

mcgovern

ixoy wrote: »

The Abyss beyond dreams is set in that same universe, just centuries later.

But the Fallers aren't near as interesting as the Primes

Thargor

Yeah thats the main problem actually, the Motiles were great enemies.

Raging_Ninja

Over the last 3 days, started and finished "Childhoods End" by Arthur C. Clarke, and "Lucifer's Hammer" by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven.

The first was pretty good, though I usually don't like mixing SciFi and fantasy. But it was done intelligently.

The second was awesome, tracking a massive meteor strike on Earth and the ensuing collapse of civilisation.

Thargor

Love Lucifer's Hammer, struck gold with that in a secondhand shop when I was a kid before the internet to look things up and reread it in college.

Im reading Swan Song now, its pure 80s sci-fi cheese

Im getting through it though.

daUbiq

Finished Abyss beyond Dreams, I enjoyed it but it's not up to his usual standard. Gonna get back to re-reading the revelation space books now unless anyone has any suggestions - space opera preferred.

Trojan

Going back to Abyss beyond Dreams after leaving it on the backburner for a month or so. Finally something happening (the EVA etc) - was very slow up until this point.

Thargor

daUbiq wrote: »

Finished Abyss beyond Dreams, I enjoyed it but it's not up to his usual standard. Gonna get back to re-reading the revelation space books now unless anyone has any suggestions - space opera preferred.

Polity by Neal Asher, the Agent Cormac series if you're paying full price, this whole list if you're "acquiring" them:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/49128-polity-universe

Prador Moon is a great standalone book if you just want to try the universe.

daUbiq

Thargor wrote: »

Polity by Neal Asher, the Agent Cormac series if you're paying full price, this whole list if you're "acquiring" them:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/49128-polity-universe

Prador Moon is a great standalone book if you just want to try the universe.

I've read the first polity book, the crab(!) one, and loved it... I have some more of the series. Have you read them all?

Thargor

Yes, devoured them, one of my all time fav series after Banks and Hamiltons stuff now. Moving on to his Owner trilogy soon, different universe.

Thargor

Another great hard sci-fi series:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/69598-the-quiet-war

daUbiq

Thargor wrote: »

Another great hard sci-fi series:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/69598-the-quiet-war

I've read a couple of books by McAuley - good stuff - Thanks. I'll look into this series..

Dades

Thargor wrote: »

Love Lucifer's Hammer, struck gold with that in a secondhand shop when I was a kid before the internet to look things up and reread it in college.

"You can carry the pot, or be put in the pot..." *

* Or words to that effect.

Raging_Ninja

Finished "Hammer of God" by Arthur C Clarke - solid, fairly hard sci-fi tale of a mission to save the Earth from an asteroid. Inspired the film Deep Impact.

Also finished "Into The Fire" by Jerry Pournelle. Very good book about a Martian war for independence against the tyranny of Earth rule.

Have started "The Gripping Hand" by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven - is the sequel to "Mote in God's Eye".

daUbiq

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

Finished "Hammer of God" by Arthur C Clarke - solid, fairly hard sci-fi tale of a mission to save the Earth from an asteroid. Inspired the film Deep Impact.

Also finished "Into The Fire" by Jerry Pournelle. Very good book about a Martian war for independence against the tyranny of Earth rule.

Have started "The Gripping Hand" by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven - is the sequel to "Mote in God's Eye".

The mote books are very good...

Thargor

Mote books are brilliant, just remembered I have a sequel to those Deepness in the Sky books on my reader aswell.

Have a look at the Rama series if you're looking for other Arthur C Clarke stuff, one of the best series ever.

Trojan

Raging_Ninja, you're going old school, love it. If you haven't read The Prince yet make that your follow-up (kind of a prequel to Moties).

Raging_Ninja

Thargor wrote: »

Have a look at the Rama series if you're looking for other Arthur C Clarke stuff, one of the best series ever.

I've read the first Rama book, will at some stage go read the others.

Trojan wrote: »

Raging_Ninja, you're going old school, love it. If you haven't read The Prince yet make that your follow-up (kind of a prequel to Moties).

Yeah have that already, really enjoyed it. The Co-Dominion universe is cool. Might look at the War World series at some stage.

ixoy

30% into "Blade of Tyshalle" by Matthew Stover, the second book in his Acts of Caine series. It's taking quite a different angle from the previous book which is a good thing. A little slow perhaps but part of that was my expectation I was getting into a 360 page book, which is what Amazon's Kindle description had it at, as opposed to the actual 800 page book it is.

Grassey

Nody wrote: »

Finished the Engineer trilogy; it definitely picked up in speed and it was his typical ending I'd say. Going to lean backs with the follow up series to the Paks trilogy now before going more serious again.

Finished this and thought the ending was a bit anti climatic and flat. Have started the scavenger trilogy by kk Parker and while a few tropes are resused too much the story is only compelling to make me want to finish it.

ronoc 1

speaking of kj parker read sharps by her and really enjoyed it.has a really interesting and intricate plot about two nations who have been at war for years who agree to a truce with addition of a fencing tournament between them.

currently reading the folding knife and liking it,not as much as sharps but its an interesting read about the rise and im presuming fall of an empire builder.id be interested to know are all her books connected because i see connections between these two books.

ixoy

ronoc 1 wrote: »

currently reading the folding knife and liking it,not as much as sharps but its an interesting read about the rise and im presuming fall of an empire builder.id be interested to know are all her books connected because i see connections between these two books.

I don't think they're connected apart from some general tropes she uses. I really enjoyed 'The Folding Knife' - KJ's very good at making extremely intelligent but flawed characters.

wyrn

Finally read my first Terry Prachett book, The Colour of Magic. I know, the shame. No idea what took me so long or why I kept putting it off. I even bought the book years ago to get round to it. Whilst it wouldn't be my favourite type of fantasy book, it was hilarious. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.