Steve's Bookshelf 2013

[pontalba]

I like Julia Roberts too! She is such a great actress. I'm not a fan of Brad Pitt. I'm not really sure why, I think it's because many people rave about him and I just don't see the appeal, or something.

She was really good in Steel Magnolias, and Conspiracy Theory.  And Pretty Woman. Oh, and one of my favorites...Sleeping With the Enemy.../shivers/  Very good movie.

Edited May 29, 2013 by pontalba

[Janet]

I don't get the fuss about Brad Pitt either, Athena!   I do like Julia Roberts though.

[Karsa Orlong]

I like Julia Roberts! 

 

 

That's what you took from my post?  Not 'The Trouble With Tribbles'??  Pfft!!

 

[pontalba]

That's what you took from my post?  Not 'The Trouble With Tribbles'??  Pfft!!

 

  Pfft!  Doesn't that go without saying!  I mean, really, everybody knows about Tribbles.  And...if they don't, well, they will just have to be dealt with.  Harshly.  We have ways.....

[Janet]

  Uh-oh.  *Hides*

[Athena]

I've heard good things about the 'Trouble with Tribbles' episode, so I look forward to see it sometime!

[Karsa Orlong]

Doesn't that go without saying! 

 

Obviously not!

[Karsa Orlong]

Finished Bitter Seeds today and really enjoyed it! I bought The Coldest War as well as this, not sure if you'd seen it or not?

 

Missed this earlier.  Glad you enjoyed it, Tim.  The Coldest War is so much better!  I've got the short story about Gretel but haven't read it yet. 

[Athena]

Based upon popular recommendations, I have just ordered a copy of Replay. I'm not sure when it will get here, but wanted to let you all know.

[Timstar]

Missed this earlier.  Glad you enjoyed it, Tim.  The Coldest War is so much better!  I've got the short story about Gretel but haven't read it yet. 

 

Glad to hear, I will be reading it after NOS4R2 which I will read after the short story which I will read after Dexter lol. Aim is to get them all done before holiday on 12th June.

 

 

Based upon popular recommendations, I have just ordered a copy of Replay. I'm not sure when it will get here, but wanted to let you all know.

 

Never heard of it...

[pontalba]

  Uh-oh.  *Hides*

/giggle/

 

Obviously not!

Hmmmm, evidently not tribble material.  

[Karsa Orlong]

Book #30:  The Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge

 

 

Thoughts:

 

It's difficult to know what to write about this one without posting massive spoilers for its predecessor, A Fire Upon the Deep.  I think, first and foremost, this is a sequel to a book that didn't need a sequel.  It's taken Vernor Vinge 19 years since the publication of AFUtD to come up with this book and, on some levels, it seems even given all that time even he didn't quite know what to do with it.

 

Moving the tale on ten years after the events of the previous book, The Children of the Sky is a planet-bound story that eschews all the galaxy-spanning awe, the space opera, the Net of a Million Lies, and more, and concentrates on a power struggle on Tines World.  It's kind of like Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - you've seen the previous films and are hoping to experience that sense of wonder and excitement all over again but, instead, you get a trade dispute    Okay, CotS is nowhere near as bad as Phantom Menace.  In fact, it is very entertaining in its own way.  The main problem is that it wasn't needed and, as much fun as it is to revisit some of these wonderful characters, it's just not the same without the excitement, tensions and drama inherent in the plot of the previous book.  And, what's worse, it leaves even more questions unanswered for what seems likely to be yet another sequel.  Ka-ching!

 

Still, there is fun to be had.  The characters, old and new, create much warmth and humour and it is good to find out what happened to them.  Hopefully the next book, whenever it may arrive, will get back to what Vinge did so well before.  I'm still looking forward to reading the prequel, A Deepness in the Sky, though - apparently it's a belter

 

 

6/10

 

 

[Devi]

I do love the cover.

 

BTW have you checked out my recent purchases? I think you and Tim would be proud   (page 14)

Edited June 4, 2013 by Devi

[Karsa Orlong]

^^  I did see your haul, yeah, very impressive!     I'm also quite bemused that you bought a book by someone called Steve Amsterdam (which would only make sense if you've read my other thread ).

 

Of course, I will be more proud when you've read all the Malazan books  

[Devi]

^^ I did see your haul, yeah, very impressive! I'm also quite bemused that you bought a book by someone called Steve Amsterdam (which would only make sense if you've read my other thread ).

 

Of course, I will be more proud when you've read all the Malazan books

I intend to start the first Malazan after I make my way through the first game of thrones! Its just a bit of a tad struggle to finish it because I already know so much having seen the first two seasons, my enthusiasm to read the book isn't as high as it normally would be.

 

Oh and which other thread is that? The Rush one?

Edited June 4, 2013 by Devi

[Karsa Orlong]

Yeah, I went to Amsterdam over the weekend

[Karsa Orlong]

I'm currently reading (second attempt!) Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover.  After that . . .  Well, seeing as I struggled to pick the last book without a plan I figured I need a new one, so here are the next few books I want to read from my TBR pile:

 

 

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Emperor: The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden

Prophecy by S. J. Parris

The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

The Odyssey by Homer

Something by David Gemmell, to be decided (probably either Hero in the Shadows or The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend)

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge

The Technician by Neal Asher

Pompeii by Robert Harris

The Silver Spike by Glen Cook

 

ETA: The one no-one saw coming: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

 

Add to this (possibly) re-reading more Sherlock Holmes and (maybe) some more Jules Verne.

 

Also, I want to give one of Michelle's recommendations a try, The 5th Wave.

 

I may not stick as rigidly to this plan as in the past, so I may well insert some more books off the TBR list, or others that I buy along the way

Edited June 10, 2013 by Karsa Orlong

[Athena]

Some interesting books there! I recognise about half the authors. I hope the plan works out for you and look forward to reading your reviews .

[Devi]

Maybe I should consider starting a reading plan... Seems to be working for everyone who has one.

[Karsa Orlong]

Some interesting books there! I recognise about half the authors. I hope the plan works out for you and look forward to reading your reviews .

 

Thanks Athena

 

I forgot to say, my 'book no-one saw coming' for this plan, which I hinted at up-thread somewhere, is To Kill a Mockingbird

 

I'm making a start on Bring Up the Bodies today.  Really excited to get back into Cromwell's world.  I was tempted to re-read Wolf Hall first to refresh my memory, as I read it three years ago now (and loved it!), but decided I could wing it as the main events in it are so well known.

[Athena]

I had to read To Kill a Mockingbird for school (in English). I remember liking it, though I couldn't tell you exactly what happens in the book as I don't remember. I recently dug up my old copy from the attic and plan to reread it someday. I hope you enjoy it .

[Karsa Orlong]

Book #31:  Heroes Die (Acts of Caine Book 1) by Matthew Woodring Stover

 

 

From Amazon:

 

Two worlds. One killer.

Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana, the assassin Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable, the best at what he does.

At home in the real world, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he's shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet.

But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife has disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds.

Welcome to the world of Caine: Assassin. Hero. Superstar . . .

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I tried to read this book last year but gave up on it after a couple of hundred pages, partly because I wasn't enjoying it so much, but mainly because the sequel was damn near impossible to get (unless I was to pay silly prices for a used copy).  Now the entire series has been released for Kindle it is no longer an issue, so it seemed a good time to try again.

 

Heroes Die doesn't sound particularly original if you read the blurb.  It is a hybrid of SF and fantasy, a tale of two Earths that are out of phase with each other.  Our world, in the future, has become so technologically advanced that we are able to transport people to the other Earth, called Overworld, which has a pseudo-Medieval culture.  Our future world and Medieval Overworld are painted in broad, fairly standard brushstrokes.  Neither world really comes alive.  So far, so ho-hum. 

 

But it is then that the original slant comes in.  The only people sent from our Earth to Overworld are Actors.  Hari Michaelson is one such Actor, the most famous Actor around because of the exploits of his Overworld persona, Caine - and Caine has been responsible for some the biggest upheavals in Overworld society.  He has, quite literally, changed the world, whether it be through assassinations, or leading uprisings.  No Prime Directive here.  The studio sends Hari/Caine into the midst of the events that they think will make them the biggest bucks, either through so-called First-Handers - who get to experience Caine's latest adventure as it happens, through his own eyes - or by selling cubes (DVDs, if you like) of the adventure after it has happened.

Caine is a mass of muscle and barely concealed fury, and his adventures on Overworld are violent in the extreme.  He is a tool, a weapon that the studio uses to manipulate events for ultimate effect.  In effect, Stover is presenting an allegory. Take a step back from the narrative and you can see him punching and kicking at present day forms of entertainment - movies, tv, video games - and the way in which modern society has become inured to its content.  Caine's adventures are the futuristic equivalent of a blockbuster movie where people die in vast, gory numbers and nobody bats an eyelid.

 

I'm fairly used to violence in books, and I like a little darkness in my SF and fantasy novels, but I think the reason I didn't get along with this book first time around is because the violence seems all-encompassing.  The book starts with a decapitation and snowballs from there.  It is, at times, very unpleasant, downright nasty.  The characters and their motivations are well conveyed, but it's really tough to like any of them.  They are bitter, twisted, self-serving people and even though Caine's motivations in this story are somewhat noble, it doesn't prevent him from leaving a trail of blood and guts in his wake.  Even taking into account the ultimate message Stover is trying to get across, I think he takes it a little too far, even for me.  And I like Joe Abercrombie's books!

 

(It should be noted that this book was first published in 1997, when George RR Martin's tale of ice and fire had barely left the starting blocks, and long before the current trend for grittier, darker fantasy had blossomed)

 

You need a strong stomach for this book.  It is not for the faint-hearted - it is fierce and uncompromising, well thought through, perhaps too long for its own good, has some of the best (but visceral) action scenes I've read, and possesses a central character who drives the story forward through sheer force of will.  You could read this book and walk away not needing to read the rest.  I am somewhat at a loss as to what score to give it.  I found a lot to like, and a lot to dislike.  It made me feel very uncomfortable at times.  I'm guessing that's what Stover was aiming for.  It worked, but I remain a little unconvinced by the result, despite all the glowing praise to be found elsewhere.

 

 

5/10

Edited June 10, 2013 by Karsa Orlong

[Timstar]

Great review, shame you didn't like it as much as you wanted to, do you think you will read the others?

[Karsa Orlong]

I don't know   I had no inclination to immediately purchase Blade of Tyshalle, just immense relief that I'd finished this one.  I think my score is probably a little unfair, but it just shows how conflicted I am about the book.  It's not the worst book I've read this year, yet my score indicates that it is.  The only justification I can give is that I enjoyed The Children of the Sky more, and I gave that one a 6/10.

 

Hmmm.  I might come back to Caine one day but, for the moment, there are too many other books I want to read.

[Timstar]

Yeah that's fair enough, I will get around to reading it but I find myself craving some traditional high fantasy :S