What Are You Reading?

ixoy

keane2097 wrote: »

Finding Red Mars a bit of a bore about 40% in.

Well I got 100% of the way through and I still find it boring. I'm not bothered with the rest of the series at all. Seemed more concerned with its science and sociology than telling an interesting tale or having characters I care about.

keane2097

ixoy wrote: »

Well I got 100% of the way through and I still find it boring. I'm not bothered with the rest of the series at all. Seemed more concerned with its science and sociology than telling an interesting tale or having characters I care about.

Exactly my thoughts on it at this stage, gonna just quit and give Tigana a go at last.

Thargor

Mars Trilogy is brilliant, you should stick with it, even 15 or more years after I read it it still makes up 90% of what I picture when I think of terraforming or Mars when reading other books, the technology was just so realistic.

I actually thought you were both talking about yet another utterly sh1te young adult Hunger-mush rip off that I read recently, no idea why I keep doing this to myself:



"Oh no, the Purples are oppressing us Reds again..."

"That is the way of things Leyloo..."

"No we must fight them" said Leyloo bravely. All the villagers cheer...

And of course all the morons on Goodreads are **** all over it and he's already a millionaire from the movie rights and the bookshops next year will be overflowing with even more useless feckers who cant string a sentence together trying to cash in on this fad...

ednwireland

Ringworld series larry niven. Read protector first (out of print mind had to buy it secondhand in the usa)

keane2097

Thargor wrote: »

Mars Trilogy is brilliant, you should stick with it, even 15 or more years after I read it it still makes up 90% of what I picture when I think of terraforming or Mars when reading other books, the technology was just so realistic.

I actually thought you were both talking about yet another utterly sh1te young adult Hunger-mush rip off that I read recently, no idea why I keep doing this to myself:

"Oh no, the Purples are oppressing us Reds again..."

"That is the way of things Leyloo..."

"No we must fight them" said Leyloo bravely. All the villagers cheer...

And of course all the morons on Goodreads are **** all over it and he's already a millionaire from the movie rights and the bookshops next year will be overflowing with even more useless feckers who cant string a sentence together trying to cash in on this fad...

This last bit I got to where the woman in charge of the farm

seems to have started some sex cult and had a bunch of kids in secret

kind of wiped me out with it.

The science in it is good and the writing itself is proficient but the above is a bit far fetched and in general I'm finding it more a study of the human condition more than a decent yarn, and tbh I feel there are probably much better studies of the human condition out there!

Manach

Penric's Demon by Lois McMasters Bujold. A very competent short novel by a master of her craft.

kirk buttercup

Thargor wrote:

Mars Trilogy is brilliant, you should stick with it, even 15 or more years after I read it it still makes up 90% of what I picture when I think of terraforming or Mars when reading other books, the technology was just so realistic.

Thargor wrote:

I actually thought you were both talking about yet another utterly sh1te young adult Hunger-mush rip off that I read recently, no idea why I keep doing this to myself:

Ah ****e just bought this because loads of people were going on about it. Nearly finished wool which i have enjoyedso far.

Buford T. Justice XIX

keane2097 wrote: »

Exactly my thoughts on it at this stage, gonna just quit and give Tigana a go at last.

TIGANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA......




I must dig that out, haven't read that in donkeys years

ixoy

keane2097 wrote: »

Exactly my thoughts on it at this stage, gonna just quit and give Tigana a go at last.

A much better choice IMO. Loved 'Tigana'.

OwaynOTT

Thargor wrote: »

Mars Trilogy is brilliant, you should stick with it, even 15 or more years after I read it it still makes up 90% of what I picture when I think of terraforming or Mars when reading other books, the technology was just so realistic.

I actually thought you were both talking about yet another utterly sh1te young adult Hunger-mush rip off that I read recently, no idea why I keep doing this to myself:



"Oh no, the Purples are oppressing us Reds again..."

"That is the way of things Leyloo..."

"No we must fight them" said Leyloo bravely. All the villagers cheer...

And of course all the morons on Goodreads are **** all over it and he's already a millionaire from the movie rights and the bookshops next year will be overflowing with even more useless feckers who cant string a sentence together trying to cash in on this fad...

Hah! Love his review.

Really is a problem with modern publishing though. It's always the next big thing with massive 6 figure sums paid out to an unknown author with film rights sold before it's even published and the writer is the next rk Rowling or Suzanne Collins or its Harry Potter in space with sex or without magic but with killing.
Sally Green with half bad series, Veronica Roth, Samantha Shannon and the bone season, that red rising trilogy.
They're all usually crap but the hype train gets them going. I've noticed it with people buying the books looking to sell them as expensive first editions down the line.
It's a crazy place now and the authors are sold as much as the books now.
Anyway, I'm kinda rambling as its late and I might put down a coherent post on my problems with modern publishing at some stage.
So ignore me and go read something good, like Terry Goodkind.

Dades

Red Mars I thought was an astounding read, but I struggled through the second book and gave up. The societal story wasn't strong enough to compliment the science after several hundred pages.

Still, book one is a must read for anyone interested in science in sci-fi. Think The Martian levels of science but on a truly planetary scale.

Ran across some Joe Haldeman recently so am currently reading Old Twentieth.

david75

Just finished Timothy Zahns Thrawn trilogy. Supposedly the best Star Wars books ever written? Can't speak to that but Thrawn is easily one of the best characters I've read in that Galaxy. Can't wait for the new book on him by Zahn.

mcgovern

david75 wrote: »

Just finished Timothy Zahns Thrawn trilogy. Supposedly the best Star Wars books ever written? Can't speak to that but Thrawn is easily one of the best characters I've read in that Galaxy. Can't wait for the new book on him by Zahn.

It's been a long time since I read them, must have been the late nineties, but I do remember them as being my favourite Star Wars books.
I keep meaning to give them a re-read.

I finished Dust of Dreams last week. There seemed an awful lot that wasn't needed and didn't contribute anything to the overall story. Definitely one of the weakest in the series in my opinion.
I also read Feast and Famine by Adrian Tchaikovsky, it a short story that was temporarily free on Amazon. Interesting idea but seemed to end before it got going.

About 70% through The Fireman by Joe Hill. Another interesting idea, but the constant pop culture references are getting a bit old.
Also, every 2nd chapter ends along the lines of "She planned to return later. But never did..." .

Adventagious

Just Finished Blood Music by Greg Bear, anyone read it? Quite enjoyed it overall.

Good for fans of end-of-the-world science fiction, maybe early Crichton stuff.

Dades

Adventagious wrote: »

Just Finished Blood Music by Greg Bear, anyone read it? Quite enjoyed it overall.

Good for fans of end-of-the-world science fiction, maybe early Crichton stuff.

Echo all the above. Enjoyable read with a feel of Crichton about it.

Eon is my favourite of Greg Bear. Someone described it as "Rendezvous with Rama written by Tom Clancy", which I think is apt!

shootermacg

keane2097 wrote: »

Finding Red Mars a bit of a bore about 40% in.

Well its more of the same really for the next 2 books. I liked them but definately more of the same ^ ^.

Thargor

Dades wrote: »

Echo all the above. Enjoyable read with a feel of Crichton about it.

Eon is my favourite of Greg Bear. Someone described it as "Rendezvous with Rama written by Tom Clancy", which I think is apt!

You know theres a couple of other books in that series?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_(Greg_Bear)

sydthebeat

Some advice please, got to do with the gormenghast novels.

I recall purchasing this in college (over 20 years ago at this stage) but found the first few chapters incredibly clunky and gloopy with characters and plot lines..... So I put it down and haven't picked it back up.

I'm debating giving it another go.

Is it a tome that has to read in long sessions to 'get'??

Suggestions please... And thanks....

Trojan

No help here, I got about 20-30% into Titus Groan and had to give up. Just not for me.

david75

Trojan wrote: »

No help here, I got about 20-30% into Titus Groan and had to give up. Just not for me.

I've tried and I've tried. Every five years or so since I was a teen. Just can't get through them. And I know it's probably brilliant if I just get through. But I'll give them one more go before I give up.


Think it's that kind of book it has to find you when you're a certain age(a mopey teenager I'm betting).

sydthebeat

Thanks lads, I might wait until I'm standard on a desert island.....

ixoy

sydthebeat wrote: »

Some advice please, got to do with the gormenghast novels.

I liked the trilogy and got into the dark decaying world of Gormenghast

However..

david75 wrote: »

Think it's that kind of book it has to find you when you're a certain age(a mopey teenager I'm betting).

I read it when I was a mopey teenager.

Nody

Finished the first book of the Malazan series; not that impressed yet based of the praise but we'll see. About to wrap up Guards, Guards, Guards again and started on The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle #1) by Miles Cameron.

Adventagious

sydthebeat wrote: »

Some advice please, got to do with the gormenghast novels.

I recall purchasing this in college (over 20 years ago at this stage) but found the first few chapters incredibly clunky and gloopy with characters and plot lines..... So I put it down and haven't picked it back up.

I'm debating giving it another go.

Is it a tome that has to read in long sessions to 'get'??

Suggestions please... And thanks....

The first two books are really exceptional in terms of character and world-building, probably would benefit from longer sessions.

Don't give up, at least try and get through Gormenghast itself. Really believe its one of the best and most completely realised fantasy worlds i've every come across.

nhur

Gormenghast... I saw the tv series... do the books cover a larger timeline?

@Nody - i'm surprised... the malazan books are usually polarising... people who don't really like them give up before finishing even the first book... and people who love them read them all - and there usually aren't people in between!

drake70

nhur wrote: »

Gormenghast... I saw the tv series... do the books cover a larger timeline?

@Nody - i'm surprised... the malazan books are usually polarising... people who don't really like them give up before finishing even the first book... and people who love them read them all - and there usually aren't people in between!

Yeah, should be called "Marmite, books of the fallen"

Dades

Thargor wrote: »

You know theres a couple of other books in that series?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_(Greg_Bear)

Yeah, I think Eon took me so long to read I wasn't ready to just start the next. Every book you read, 5 more are waiting on your want-to-read list. Also in my experience, sequels rarely match the first book.

Still, I might just revist the series now my interest has been piqued again!

Nody

nhur wrote: »

@Nody - i'm surprised... the malazan books are usually polarising... people who don't really like them give up before finishing even the first book... and people who love them read them all - and there usually aren't people in between!

Well let me elaborate; for me on the first read the GoT books have more characters and plots going on in parallel than what happened in the first book. Now I did not find the book bad but from all the points read about needing to reread the books to capture all the details and plots etc. it was a fairly streamlined book. I've already got the next three or four books anyway so I'll keep rotating them into my rotation but it was not a case of "omg I can't stop reading this book" experience.

mordeith

Halfway though Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel. Enjoying it I must say although the level of vocabulary and philosophical thinking by 12-year-old Will seems a bit odd at times.

nhur

I hear ya Nody - the first one feels pretty self contained... subsequent ones build up a momentum and the more of the books you read the more interconnections you see between them. I read the first one and really liked it. Several months later I started reading the second... and couldn't remember who any of the characters were or what had really happened etc. So I reread the first and kept with them until finishing the last one! Dying to get back to them