Chrissy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I always enjoy reading your thread Steve Your reviews are great and your 'discussions' (*cough* frankie *cough*) are informative, amusing and a tad scary at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Thanks Chrissy - do join in That's a bad cough you've got there, btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 After a while I realised why: all the talk in Tim's thread about science fiction series had got me in the mood for some space opera. glad I'm having an effect on your reading habits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) You are a bad influence on me Steve . Three more books added to my already large list, and I am yet to check in on Tim's! Edited June 1, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I really wanted to pick something off my TBR list, but I couldn't make up my mind. I pulled The Algebraist, Shadow of the Scorpion, Childhood's End and Mockingbird off the shelf but none were grabbing me. After a while I realised why: all the talk in Tim's thread about science fiction series had got me in the mood for some space opera. I didn't want any of the authors I've already tried, either, so I ended up reading samples of Leviathan Wakes and Old Man's War. I went with Old Man's War in the end. Haha, that's an excellent way to start a product description: With his wife dead and buried, and life nearly over at 75, John Perry takes the only logical course of action left: he joins the army. I always enjoy reading your thread Steve Your reviews are great and your 'discussions' (*cough* frankie *cough*) are informative, amusing and a tad scary at times. Oh dear, Chrissy's caught my flu bug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 glad I'm having an effect on your reading habits! Yeah, stop it will you, it's not good for my TBR pile You are a bad influence on me Steve . Three more books added to my already large list, and I am yet to check in on Tim's! Now come on, you can't say that and not tell me which three books it was And there is no 'bad' here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Yeah, stop it will you, it's not good for my TBR pile you can talk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 you can talk! Links to all the reviews I've posted this year have been added to the first post in this thread - hopefully that'll make them easier to find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Now come on, you can't say that and not tell me which three books it was And there is no 'bad' here I knew I forgot to do something, I added: Weaveworld - Clive Barker The shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe Old Mans War - John Scalzi That last ones title caught my eye, and when you had chosen it out of the rest of the books listed, I had to check it out. I eagerly await your review on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Book # 38: Old Man's War by John Scalzi Synopsis: John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. Humanity finally made it into interstellar space, but planets fit to live on are scarce--and alien races willing to fight for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine--and what he will become is far stranger. Thoughts: In the author's notes at the end of this book Scalzi pays tribute to Robert A. Heinlein. And so he should, because this book wears its influences front and centre and doesn't care. This is pretty much Starship Troopers Mk II. Actually, mash together Starship Troopers and The Forever War, take out the things that made the latter special, and this is what you'd end up with. That's not necessarily a bad thing, in this case. Getting over the fact that my neighbour is called John Perry (which became slightly disturbing considering some of the things the character gets up to in the book!), the story is told in the first person. Perry's wife died a few years ago, and he pays his last visit to her grave on his 75th birthday before heading off to complete his enrolment in the Colonial Defense Force. In signing up he is expected to say goodbye to everything and everyone he knew on Earth, because he won't be coming back. As soon as his allotted transport time has passed he will officially be 'dead', his estate will be divided as per his will, and he will effectively cease to exist - on Earth. He doesn't care. He wants to do something useful with the last years of his life, even if it means leaving his son behind. Why would anyone do this? Why does the military only recruit people at 75? Why can they never come back? I don't want to answer any of these questions because it would spoil much of the fun. The first half of the book is taken up with Perry's training, and the friends he makes along the way. Scalzi's characterisation is pretty good, with a lot of humour coming through the zippy dialogue. You also get to meet a drill instructor ripped straight out of a Vietnam war movie (although I kind of imagined him as Clancy Brown out of the Starship Troopers movie). He shouts a lot, he swears a lot, but he's very, very funny, and through this he makes his points very well. The action when it comes is brisk and brutal, and takes up much of the second half of the novel. There's not a lot of diplomacy going on here. Scalzi actually takes the time to make some points about growing old and how you live your life. Sometimes he does it subtly, sometimes he uses a hammer, but it does add a little depth to proceedings. There's also some actual science involved, which he dumbs down quite nicely so that it doesn't fry your brain. Old Man's War is a solid novel. It's compact, streamlined, doesn't overstay its welcome, and left me wanting more. It's also pretty simple and straightforward. It's an easy, action-packed read that won't particularly stretch the grey matter. It's maybe not the space opera I was looking for when I got that craving a few days ago, but I'll certainly be picking up the next book in the series pretty soon. 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) The shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe I started reading the sequel to that one last night, The Claw of the Conciliator. I wasn't enjoying it, though, so the question is do I continue with it, or switch to something else? <<ponders>> Edited June 3, 2012 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 I dropped Claw of the Conciliator - really wasn't in the mood for it. So then it became a toss up between Vance's Lyonesse and Jack Whyte's The Skystone. I sat down to read the first few pages of The Skystone and see what it was like. Next thing I knew it was two hours later and I was over 100 pages into it. Don't you love it when you get lost in a book like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Yeah I love it when that happens! Great review, I have added it to my kindle wishlist (Just below, a kindle). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 (edited) Book #39: The Skystone (A Dream of Eagles Book One) by Jack Whyte Synopsis: Born of the nightmare chaos of the Dark Ages, the Dream of Eagles produced a King, a country, and an everlasting legend - Camelot. Thoughts: I first heard about this book on another forum in a discussion on books about the Arthurian legends. I'd just finished Bernard Cornwell's 'Warlord Chronicles' trilogy and wanted to know what other people thought of it. Several people said Jack Whyte's eight-book series 'A Dream of Eagles' (also known as 'The Camulod Chronicles') was even better than Cornwell's trilogy which, as you can guess, got me interested. Much like Cornwell, Whyte decided to tell the story as real history, so what we have here is a Britain during the decline of the Roman Empire. I'm not a fast reader but the fact that I read this, a 600+ page book, in less than four days tells me how well written it is, and how much I enjoyed it. It starts at a phenomenal pace. Told in first person - from the viewpoint of Publius Varrus, the First Spear of a Roman legion - it throws you straight into the middle of a battle in the Pennines, then whisks you back a few years to North Africa and an action-packed rescue scene which felt as epic and exciting as something out of Lawrence of Arabia. Again like Cornwell, the narrator, Varrus, is looking back over his life and telling the story as an old man, so it zips around to different events and the pacing doesn't drop for a long time. What Whyte is basically doing is creating a sequence of events, using real history as a backdrop, to account for the legend of King Arthur. In The Skystone he has gone back to before Arthur's time, so it is basically one big set-up for what is to follow. I really don't want to spoil it anymore than that. It's a terrific read, but there are a couple of caveats. Along his journey Varrus understandably makes enemies. One of these enemies becomes the driving force behind much of what happens in the second half of the novel, but it is a rather over-used plot device in these kinds of books. Also, the sex scenes in the book are laughably bad, another thing that seems to be standard in these books. I really don't know why they bother with them if they can't actually write them well. I also got annoyed that women kept falling into Varrus's arms. It was like he was Captain Kirk or something For the first two thirds of this book I was readying myself to give another ten. In addition to those caveats, though, I did feel that it lost its way a little in the last hundred or so pages. It picks up again at the end, though, and reaches a suitably tantalising conclusion. For me, not as good as Cornwell quite yet, but I'm looking forward to reading the next book, The Singing Sword. 8/10 Edited June 7, 2012 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Book #40: Mockingbird by Walter Tevis Synopsis: The future is a grim place in which the declining human population wanders, drugged and lulled by electronic bliss. It's a world without art, reading and children, a world where people would rather burn themselves alive than endure. Even Spofforth, the most perfect machine ever created, cannot bear it and seeks only that which he cannot have - to cease to be. But there is hope for the future in the passion and joy that a man and woman discover in love and in books, hope even for Spofforth. A haunting novel, reverberating with anguish but also celebrating love and the magic of a dream. Thoughts: This book begins with the robot Spofforth climbing to the top of the Empire State Building and trying to throw himself off. Mockingbird is set in the 25th century, during the last days of mankind. Spofforth is a 'Make 9', supposedly the most advanced robots ever built, with their brains cloned from a human being. Unfortunately, due to various problems and suicidal tendencies, all the other Make 9's have been destroyed. Spofforth is the last and has been programmed so that he cannot harm himself. Robots were built by man to take over every day chores but have ended up running the place as the human population dwindled into drug- and training-induced isolation. Anything from eye contact to the briefest conversation is considered an invasion of privacy and a crime. Enter Bentley, who is learning to read from the dialogue cards in old silent movies - a pasttime that disappeared long ago. When Bentley meets Mary Lou, a woman who inhabits the reptile house at New York's zoo, she tells him she wants to learn to read too ... It all sounds very depressing and much of the time it is - except for the spark of hope that begins to burn in Bentley. The narrative circles around these three characters as they try to make sense of a decaying world. It's a thought-provoking read, with several profound observations. You can almost hear Tevis bemoaning the fact that we miss the world going past us because we're too addicted to other things, like tv screens and computer monitors, and showing us how Bentley's world blossoms because of his desire not to be a sheep or a lemming, but instead to learn and to read. It kept me reading because I wanted to find out why this had all happened, how mankind had got itself into this predicament. Even at 280 pages it is possibly a bit too long for what it is, and my interest did wane a little in the middle of it. But once the book started to reveal its secrets it dragged me back in, and I have to say that the ending is worth it. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the final page alone is so memorable it's worthy of mention alongside some of my other favourite endings, like I Am Legend, Deadhouse Gates, A Storm of Swords, Tigana et al. 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Nice review. I have the same SF Masterworks edition. It's interesting that any interaction between people is a crime and an invasion of privacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thanks Kylie Decided to read Farenheit 451 next. I'm ashamed that I've never read it, especially in light of Ray Bradbury's passing this week. Also, Mockingbird bears some similarities to it, I suppose, in terms of reading being outlawed etc, so it might be an interesting comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Great review of Mockingbird Steve .. you have intrigued me. I feel something akin to interest in it I like Spofforth ... obviously he's not exactly a laugh a minute but I'm empathising with him already. Why on earth was Mary Lou inhabiting the reptile house though? I can't imagine a world where that would ever be thought a good idea (and this is half the problem ) Also were all the machines male? .. it's just that it says in the blurb something about 'the most perfect machine ever created' and I was thinking that maybe ... they should have gone with a female (far less troublesome, more biddable and ultimately superior ) Did they have any female machines? If not I can see one of the reasons why Spofforth might have had the hump Did he ask anyone to create a female perfect machine for company or would that have been considered a thought crime or something? Obviously that plotline has been used before but not to any great effect Steve tbh .. I for one wouldn't mind someone else having a stab at it. I've got Farenheit 451 here too somewhere .. must dig it out and read it .. it's one of Kylie's most recommended isn't it? .. must be a cracker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I also got annoyed that women kept falling into Varrus's arms. It was like he was Captain Kirk or something Yeah nobody can compete with Captain Kirk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Great review of Mockingbird Steve .. you have intrigued me. I feel something akin to interest in it That wasn't my intention, honest! Glad you liked the sound of it, though Also were all the machines male? .. it's just that it says in the blurb something about 'the most perfect machine ever created' and I was thinking that maybe ... they should have gone with a female (far less troublesome, more biddable and ultimately superior ) Yeah, and they needed someone to do the cooking and cleaning, after all Did they have any female machines? Now that would be telling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Book #4(5)1: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Synopsis: Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. Thoughts: If I'd been Ray Bradbury I'd've sued Walter Tevis. I'd've said "Hey, Wally! Stop nicking my ideas!" Okay, so Tevis added some other ideas to Mockingbird, but the central theme seems to me to be almost identical: people giving away freedom of thought and expression to technology, and one or two people rediscovering that freedom through books. I found Bradbury's novel to be compelling, written with real flair. Lots of wordplay, lots of driven passages where you can almost feel his own anger seeping out through Guy Montag's pores. I did find that there were a few parts where I lost track of who was speaking, and had to re-read them to get it clear in my mind. This was particularly true when Montag has another character speaking to him through an earpiece whilst he was in the midst of a conversation with others around him. But that's really the only problem I had with it. I didn't see the ending coming at all, even though the groundwork had been laid for it throughout the novel's brief length. It's one of those rare books where anything extraneous has been cut away to leave just the essential meat on the bone. Reading the 'afterword', I was amazed to learn that Bradbury wrote this in nine days. That sense of immediacy and urgency really shines through in everything that happens to Montag. His rage and confusion is palpable, pushing the story forward at pace. The characters around him are no less real, especially his wife Mildred (the most memorable scene in the novel takes place when she has her friends around to stare at the tv walls whilst Montag stands in the doorway quoting poetry), and the Fire Chief, Beatty, who seems to exist in a cloud of pipe smoke as he goads Montag at every given opportunity. Highly recommended. And I haven't even mentioned the hound ... RIP Ray. 9/10 Edited June 12, 2012 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Great review. The movie was shown here on TV last night. I've seen it several times but of course watched it again. Have you seen it? It's not bad as adaptations go, although it might be ripe for a remake. I had a bit of trouble with the characters because several of the firemen looked alike, so I had trouble telling the chief apart from others. The one main difference I noticed, which you won't like, is that there is no hound in the movie. It uses jet packs and poor (by today's standards) special effects instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 I've never seen it right through, Kylie, no, just a few minutes here and there. I did wonder, whilst reading the novel, how on Earth they could have carried off certain aspects in the movie, particularly the hound. I would worry about a remake, though. Done correctly it could be fantastic, as the narrative seems even more relevant today than ever. I could imagine David Fincher making a real go of it. Unfortunately it would probably be given to Michael Bay and would star Will Smith - and be cgi'd up the wazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Great review, this is high on my wishlist. Michael Bay ruins everything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Great review I was waiting to see what you made of it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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