pontalba Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 City by Clifford D. Simak 5/5 Man ceasing to be the dominate species on Earth. That can't be a bad thing. Simak covers so much ground in what is actually a collection of 8 short stories, each with it's own Notes section. The rise and fall of civilizations, the reach out to the stars, the travelling from one dimension to the other. The definition of God. A robot that lives 12,000 years and sees almost all of it. We see what can happen when our desires are thought to be known, but are not. Loyalty, love, the shedding of our humanness. All shown through the lens of one family. This author puts Life into perspective in the simplest of manners. This is the long view. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 This sounds good. Are the short stories related to one another or are they completely standalone? I mean, is there one overarching story? It sounds good either way. I'm glad you enjoyed it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I'm not sure City will be my kind of thing, but I'm intrigued enough to stick it on the wishlist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 This sounds good. Are the short stories related to one another or are they completely standalone? I mean, is there one overarching story? It sounds good either way. I'm glad you enjoyed it . Thanks. Funny thing was that it was on special at Amazon, 1.99USD, I think. Then I found a hardback copy at the Library Sale last week. lol The Universe was trying to tell me something! There is an overarching story, covering about 12,000 years. So, while some of the stories are very different, they all relate, and refer to one another. I'm not sure City will be my kind of thing, but I'm intrigued enough to stick it on the wishlist! Great! I know you don't care much for "short stories", but as I mention above it's an overarching story so the "short" hardly applies. I hope you do enjoy it when you get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 The Robot story sounds very much like something I heard on the radio in my teens ( BBC World Service had a 15 min storytime slot ). Always remembered it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Thanks for City... *runs to Kindle for sample* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Thanks. Funny thing was that it was on special at Amazon, 1.99USD, I think. Then I found a hardback copy at the Library Sale last week. lol The Universe was trying to tell me something! There is an overarching story, covering about 12,000 years. So, while some of the stories are very different, they all relate, and refer to one another. Lol! Thanks for answering my question . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 27, 2016 Author Share Posted May 27, 2016 Lol! Thanks for answering my question . You are very welcome! I'd preordered City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin. It's the last of the trilogy consisting of The Passage, The Twelve, and City of Mirrors. It came the other day and I started it, but was a bit lost on the character's interaction. So. I've started the trilogy all over again. I'm 31% through the first one, and am enjoying it all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Oh wow! I didn't like The Passage at all! In fact, I hardly remember it, that's how bad I disliked it . Good luck with the trilogy though! I'm glad you are enjoying it, at least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 I'm glad you're enjoying re-reading the trilogy, I hope you enjoy all three books . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Oh wow! I didn't like The Passage at all! In fact, I hardly remember it, that's how bad I disliked it . Good luck with the trilogy though! I'm glad you are enjoying it, at least Oh wow, really?? I haven't gotten around to reading it because of its size and my fear of commitment, but I do want to read it.... I feel less sure now, we usually agree on those kinds of books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 27, 2016 Author Share Posted May 27, 2016 Oh wow! I didn't like The Passage at all! In fact, I hardly remember it, that's how bad I disliked it . Good luck with the trilogy though! I'm glad you are enjoying it, at least Oick! I'm glad you're enjoying re-reading the trilogy, I hope you enjoy all three books . Thanks, I am sure I will. Oh wow, really?? I haven't gotten around to reading it because of its size and my fear of commitment, but I do want to read it.... I feel less sure now, we usually agree on those kinds of books! It reads very fast. Plus it's better to read large chunks at the time, so as not to forget which character is doing what. It's so much more than a "vampire story". In many ways it's a treatise on War, God, and Human interaction and Loyalty. Not to mention hubris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 It does read quickly (thank goodness! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 I struggled a bit with The Passage, and I never bothered picking the sequel up. I've forgotten a lot of the details about it too, but I remember being disappointed because I thought it would be my kind of book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 I struggled a bit with The Passage, and I never bothered picking the sequel up. I've forgotten a lot of the details about it too, but I remember being disappointed because I thought it would be my kind of book. I struggled with it too, despite the premise being as such that I thought it would be just my thing. I got about halfway through and just couldn't get beyond a certain point despite trying a few times, I remember reading that others had struggled at that point too and that it was worth continuing but I just couldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 (edited) I struggled a bit with The Passage, and I never bothered picking the sequel up. I've forgotten a lot of the details about it too, but I remember being disappointed because I thought it would be my kind of book. I struggled with it too, despite the premise being as such that I thought it would be just my thing. I got about halfway through and just couldn't get beyond a certain point despite trying a few times, I remember reading that others had struggled at that point too and that it was worth continuing but I just couldn't.I know exactly the point y'all mean, and agree to some extent that it bogs down a bit there. But for me, it didn't matter, it actually interested me to get those details. And those details matter down the road. I don't know how else Cronin could have managed it. There is a great interview with Cronin on a blog I follow, Shelf Awareness. Here is a link...you might have to scroll down a bit for it. http://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=509#m8900 Edited May 28, 2016 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 Well I did finish and I still didn't like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 29, 2016 Author Share Posted May 29, 2016 (edited) Finished The Passage last night! Loved this story of survival again. The geographical scope, the love and sacrifice demonstrated throughout is just amazing. I've started the second book, so will wait to review after finishing all three. Edited May 29, 2016 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I hope you enjoy the other two, as well . It's interesting that the opinions are divided on this one (is that proper English? I know that's what we would say in Dutch, but I'm now not sure if this is the correct English way of saying it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) I hope you enjoy the other two, as well . It's interesting that the opinions are divided on this one (is that proper English? I know that's what we would say in Dutch, but I'm now not sure if this is the correct English way of saying it.) Well, it's pretty much exactly how I would say it (if I was being really, really picky, I would leave out 'the' and just say 'It's interesting that [or how] opinions are divided on this one' - but 99% of people probably wouldn't notice. Edited May 30, 2016 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 I hope you enjoy the other two, as well .It's interesting that the opinions are divided on this one (is that proper English? I know that's what we would say in Dutch, but I'm now not sure if this is the correct English way of saying it.) Well, it's pretty much exactly how I would say it (if I was being really, really picky, I would leave out 'the' and just say 'It's interesting that [or how] opinions are divided on this one' - but 99% of people probably wouldn't notice. LOL. What he said! Interesting, yes, that's what makes a good discussion. The whys and wherefores of the readers reasoning behind their feelings pro or con about a book. I'm about a third of the way through the second one, and it occurred to me last night that this trilogy is somewhat akin to Stephen King's The Stand. A panoramic view of life as we know it coming to an end. There are definite similarities, and Cronin's prose and descriptive powers are top notch. To call it a "simple vampire story" is just so incomplete. Yes, there are sections that I prefer over others, but that feeling is common enough to readers, I believe. Anyhow. Back to reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Ya, I thought it was a little too close to The Stand. Btw- good afternoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 Ya, I thought it was a little too close to The Stand. Btw- good afternoon Almost afternoon here. . G'morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Well, it's pretty much exactly how I would say it (if I was being really, really picky, I would leave out 'the' and just say 'It's interesting that [or how] opinions are divided on this one' - but 99% of people probably wouldn't notice. Good to know . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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