Timstar Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 When the book fails to materialise for another three years I'll blame you for making him spend his time signing your books Haha, fair enough. I'll just be happy if it comes in three years! That looks like so much fun! I have a coupleof signed Barkers, but my dog ate Forms of Heaven as a puppy. Looks like you had a great time! I wish there were book stores around here that do signings, I've only been to a few Clive Barkers ones. I bet Barker would be an interesting person to meet. If a pet of mine ate one of my signed books it wouldn't be my pet for long!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Something More Than Night - Ian Tregillis (Audio book narrated by Scott Brick) ..... What do you get if you take Bobby Dollar and put him in a Sin City-like noir world, add in some quantum mechanics and dash of ontological relativity? I don't know for sure but it's going on my wishlist! Thanks for posting pics of your bookcases and shelves, they were a really pleasant sight for the eyes As has been mentioned already, the shelves are already full... So my question is, do you have space for more bookcases? And wow, you've had a great few days, getting a chance to meet so many authors whose books you've enjoyed! Wow! I can't even imagine how amazing and excited you must've been. I suspect you were also a bit starstruck? I know I would've been And and congratulations on finally having moved to your new home and having settled down I wish you and your lovely wife many decades of happiness in your new home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 How exciting, getting to meet Martin and Lynch! I love that Rothfuss hi-jacked your books. I don't blame you for not being able to speak properly to GRRM, I don't think I'd have a clue what to say to any of them! Would love to meet Rothfuss though. Very jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 I don't know for sure but it's going on my wishlist! Thanks for posting pics of your bookcases and shelves, they were a really pleasant sight for the eyes As has been mentioned already, the shelves are already full... So my question is, do you have space for more bookcases? And wow, you've had a great few days, getting a chance to meet so many authors whose books you've enjoyed! Wow! I can't even imagine how amazing and excited you must've been. I suspect you were also a bit starstruck? I know I would've been And and congratulations on finally having moved to your new home and having settled down I wish you and your lovely wife many decades of happiness in your new home Thanks a lot Frankie! It's been a great few days, I was very starstruck. I have space for more... but I certainly won't get certified Wife approval for more bookcases. I'm happy with it for now, but difficult choices lay ahead How exciting, getting to meet Martin and Lynch! I love that Rothfuss hi-jacked your books. I don't blame you for not being able to speak properly to GRRM, I don't think I'd have a clue what to say to any of them! Would love to meet Rothfuss though. Very jealous! By the time Rothfuss walked in, I wasn't even surprised anymore, I just burst out laughing, he was trying to hide from Lynch and when people saw him signing my book they all laughed as well. Was a great moment. Hope you get to see him too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I failed to articulate coherent sentences in his presence I bet Barker would be an interesting person to meet. If a pet of mine ate one of my signed books it wouldn't be my pet for long!! Aw! But he was so cute! The puppy and Barker Actually, I could hardly speak to him coherently as well! The first time he gave a lecture, then a signing. He said, "Ah- you've brought the plays then?" And I went "I'm really into theaturrrrr" duh. I just couldn't get over the fact he was my favorite writer at the time and he was sitting right there in front of me! Plus, he had just come out with Galilee and I brought Forms of Heaven, so it sort of singled me out. Everyone wanted Imagica signed (which I did later, at a reading for Abarat, he signed as many books as you wanted, even posters of his art). He was/ is WAY cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I have space for more... but I certainly won't get certified Wife approval for more bookcases. I'm happy with it for now, but difficult choices lay ahead Maybe you ought to build an outhouse. For books, that is. If there's no room inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton Synopsis It’s AD 3580 and the Intersolar Commonwealth has spread throughout the galaxy. Its citizens are privileged and protected by a powerful navy. Yet at the centre of this galaxy is the Void, a sealed universe created by aliens billions of years ago. And the Void is far from inert. Its expansion has gradually been consuming nearby star systems – now it’s trying to make contact. The Void chooses Inigo as its conduit, and he channels dreams of a simpler life within its bounds. Disaffected humanity hungers for this vision, adopting him as their prophet. But Inigo disappears and his followers instigate a pilgrimage to take them into the Void itself. An act that could trigger its expansion and thereby damage our galaxy beyond repair. Meanwhile, within the Void, a junior constable called Edeard begins his journey to greatness. He takes on his corrupt city, giving his people hope. He also becomes the focus of Inigo’s dream – and thereby humanity’s greatest hero. Review The Dreaming Void is the first book of the Void Trilogy, continuing the Commonwealth Saga. This is a book that tells two different stories in one. One half of the book continues on from the events of Judas Unchained, some 1,000 years later, the other half is written in the style of a traditional quasi-medieval fantasy book. The latter half follows the story of Edeard, who Inigo dreams is living an idealistic existence within the void itself, hence the title; The Dreaming Void. This is a clever, if a little risky, method for Hamilton to explore an entirely different genre whilst at the same time, writing a very typical Hamilton-esque SF novel. I personally think it works very well. The biggest let down of the previous two Commonwealth Saga novels was their length, but with The Dreaming Void, the overall book is about 300 pages shorter, a third of which is taken up by Inigo's dreams. This means the Commonwealth chapters are much more focused and to the point, whilst still fitting all the usual Hamilton tropes of brilliant characters mixed with great ideas and technologies to explore. A particularly interesting idea was called 'going multiple' whereby one person has many different bodies (30+) but one collected conciousness and memory, you can tell Hamilton had some great fun playing around with this idea especially in a few scenes that get a little hot under the collar . There is certainly a lot more potential with this idea alone, and there are plenty of others, some carried over from the previous books and some brand new ones. The real delight of the book is definitely the dreams though, Hamilton does very well at created a traditional fantasy world filled with his own ideas. The people in the void have evolved with the technologies of the Commonwealth embedded into their genes but the story is focused on one individual and his struggle for survival and justice. The book itself was a joy to read but the anticipation of things to come that it manages to instil into the reader is the real coup de gráce. Overall 9/10 Edited August 20, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed the book. It'll be the next big Hamilton book I read (I might read Manhattan in Reverse first as a shorter read), so I'm glad you quite liked it. Do you plan on reading the second and third Void books, did this one have an ending or can you feel there's a lot more to come? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed the book. It'll be the next big Hamilton book I read (I might read Manhattan in Reverse first as a shorter read), so I'm glad you quite liked it. Do you plan on reading the second and third Void books, did this one have an ending or can you feel there's a lot more to come? Thanks, the Inigo's dream sequence had an ending to a specific story line, but set it up for a lot more, the main story was more of a cliff hanger than an ending. I certainly will be reading the others and quite soon as well. I haven't read any of his short stories yet but I'm sure they'll be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Thanks, the Inigo's dream sequence had an ending to a specific story line, but set it up for a lot more, the main story was more of a cliff hanger than an ending. I certainly will be reading the others and quite soon as well. I haven't read any of his short stories yet but I'm sure they'll be great Thanks for the speedy reply, I hope you enjoy the other books . I've only read one of the short stories so far, If At First... which I read on the Kindle and was unaware it was also in the book. I liked that one but it wasn't brilliant. I'm mostly interested in the story that involves Myo, as I find her an interesting character, but of course I look forward to read all the stories. I've been saving the book for a read-a-thon so perhaps during the next one (it will depend on how I feel). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Fascinating review of The Dreaming Void - you might actually convince me to finally read the trilogy! I haven't read any of his short stories yet but I'm sure they'll be great I've read a fair few of his short stories and they're honestly nowhere near as good as Alastair Reynolds' stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) I've been saving the book for a read-a-thon so perhaps during the next one (it will depend on how I feel). Hope you enjoy it Fascinating review of The Dreaming Void - you might actually convince me to finally read the trilogy! I just hope all the anticipation isn't misplaced. I've read a fair few of his short stories and they're honestly nowhere near as good as Alastair Reynolds' stuff You might convince me to read Reynolds one day On a different note, this was an unhappy coincidence: Edited August 20, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 You might convince me to read Reynolds one day Easy: read them both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I love the cover of The Dreaming Void! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 On a different note, this was an unhappy coincidence: NY.jpg I'm a bit unsure what it means , could you explain it to me? Does that mean you have to return the book New York to the library? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 New York. September 11th. Think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Well there is that, obviously . I was just wondering if it had a personal relation to Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 No, nothing personal. Just sad times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I have space for more... but I certainly won't get certified Wife approval for more bookcases. I'm happy with it for now, but difficult choices lay ahead Yeah, certified husband approval is just as difficult to come by. When I need a new bookcase I actually have to ask for it for birthday/Christmas - even though it's clearly a necessity, not a luxury! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yeah, certified husband approval is just as difficult to come by. When I need a new bookcase I actually have to ask for it for birthday/Christmas - even though it's clearly a necessity, not a luxury! That's outrageous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 That's outrageous! I know! Like, abuse of human rights, or something. We should protest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I agree! Somehow our spouses are not so keen on us adding a new book case (or multiple). My boyfriend usually tells me to wait a while too before I can get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Times like these, I'm glad I'm single! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I agree! Somehow our spouses are not so keen on us adding a new book case (or multiple). My boyfriend usually tells me to wait a while too before I can get one. They're such meanies! Times like these, I'm glad I'm single! As soon as that looks like changing, make sure to stock up on bookcases! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Mine is the same too! I just have to glance at a book and he says "no more books, you have so many already, and we are running out of room". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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