Karsa Orlong Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 I've got two words for you, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 All the Windwracked Stars (The Edda of Burdens Book #1) by Elizabeth Bear 2008 - Tor ebook - 368 pages There was snow at the end of the world, and Kasimir was dying in it. When I read that first line I knew I had to read this book, which weaves together elements of science fiction and Norse mythology into some weird post-apocalyptic fantasy hybrid. The story begins with Ragnarök before leaping forward 2,500 years. The death of the Norse gods is written in history, all those centuries ago, and now mankind has brought itself to the edge of oblivion, with just one city, Eiledon, left in all the world. Muire, the last Valkyrie - the last survivor of Ragnarök - has been scraping a living as an artist of sorts. What's interesting about her is that the only reason she survived was because she is a coward. As the final battle happened and all her brothers and sisters fell around her, she ran. It makes for an interesting introduction to a main protagonist but, unfortunately, it also means you know damn well that there's going to be some form of redemption before the end. Ho hum. Oh, but she isn't the only survivor of course, because there is Kasimir, a Valraven, a two-headed steed of the Valkyries who - by some twist of fate - calls upon Muire to save him by bringing about a last miracle, which turns him into a thing of metal and gears and steam, like some two-headed horse-shaped Flying Scotsman. Weird. But original, and well-realised. What isn't so realised is the setting. Eiledon bored the hell out of me. It's just another post-apocalyptic city in many ways, not unlike Mieville's New Crobuzon yet lacking that city's sense of danger, let alone its sense of dirt and grime, like it's been lived in at all. It's perked up a bit by an island raised from the middle of the city and hanging in mid air, a river running up, across and down the other side by some means of technomancy, but it hardly seems relevant in the grand scheme of things, and not nearly enough is done with it. The story itself revolves around souls and reincarnation and the abuse of power. It's interesting at times but the sum of the parts doesn't seem to make up a whole. This is mainly down to the characters who I found almost completely dull in every way. There is no edge to any of them, nothing that made me want to spend time with them. Even though most of them are not who or what they initially appear to be, once the story's major theme kicked in I was past caring. If it hadn't been a reasonably short book I would've chucked it in long before the end. All that said, my reading has been suffering recently. This is the first book I've finished in over three weeks. Admittedly, two of those weeks were spent crawling through the first volume of John Sugden's 800-page biography of Nelson, which I had to put to one side - not even a third of the way through it - for a while for a break. But this book, at only 368 pages, took me a week to read. A lot of this has been due to Pillars of Eternity taking up all of my spare time but I think, also, that I have been spoiled this year by reading so much Patrick O'Brian. I have become so used to the quality of his writing, I think, that the relatively journeyman quality of the writing here put me off considerably. Reading some reviews, it's like others were reading a completely different book. So maybe it's just me and my current apathy toward fantasy. Ignore everything else I just typed, I'll sum it up in one word: Meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 It's a shame you didn't really enjoy this book. I hope you will feel more like reading soon and that it will be something you enjoy . I'm glad though you are enjoying Pillars of Eternity . Would it be too off-topic to ask you what kind of characters / classes you use in your basic party? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I'm glad there were at least a few things you liked about the book. Seriously, what a shame - the premise sounds like it has so much potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 I'm glad though you are enjoying Pillars of Eternity . Would it be too off-topic to ask you what kind of characters / classes you use in your basic party? My main character's a Cipher, and my favourite party adds a Fighter, a Druid, a Ranger, a Priest and a Wizard, although I do swap one or two out occasionally to use the Chanter or the Paladin. I had a second Cipher at one point two, which was quite amusing (cos they do heaps of damage) I'm glad there were at least a few things you liked about the book. Seriously, what a shame - the premise sounds like it has so much potential. Yeah, but do factor in my mental block where fantasy's concerned. You might like it a hell of a lot more Anyway, I'm back on O'Brian now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 My main character's a Cipher, and my favourite party adds a Fighter, a Druid, a Ranger, a Priest and a Wizard, although I do swap one or two out occasionally to use the Chanter or the Paladin. I had a second Cipher at one point two, which was quite amusing (cos they do heaps of damage) Sounds good ! Anyway, I'm back on O'Brian now I hope you enjoy it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 (edited) Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space Kindle collection is down to a bargainous £18.19, for which you get: The trilogy: Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap The stand-alone novels: Chasm City and The Prefect (the book I'm planning to read after my current O'Brian ) The two short story collections: Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days and Galactic North That's roughly £2.60 per book. Completely awesome http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revelation-Space-eBook-Collection-ebook/dp/B005SZ1OFW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1429614991&sr=8-9&keywords=alastair+reynolds ETA: Neal Asher's almost-as-awesome Prador Moon is going for 99p at the mo: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prador-Moon-Polity-Book-1-ebook/dp/B003GK21DU/ref=sr_1_3_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1429616679&sr=8-3&keywords=neal+asher Edited April 21, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space Kindle collection is down to a bargainous £18.19, for which you get: The trilogy: Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap The stand-alone novels: Chasm City and The Prefect (the book I'm planning to read after my current O'Brian ) The two short story collections: Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days and Galactic North That's roughly £2.60 per book. Completely awesome http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revelation-Space-eBook-Collection-ebook/dp/B005SZ1OFW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1429614991&sr=8-9&keywords=alastair+reynolds ETA: Neal Asher's almost-as-awesome Prador Moon is going for 99p at the mo: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prador-Moon-Polity-Book-1-ebook/dp/B003GK21DU/ref=sr_1_3_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1429616679&sr=8-3&keywords=neal+asher Hmm. Now I know I've read some Alistair Reynolds along the way, but I forget which. Pretty sure it's none of these though. I'll have to check this out!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I know I haven't completely sworn off trying more science fiction after reading House of Suns by Alistair Reynolds, but I don't think he's an author I'd read more of, and certainly not a whole collection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 I know I haven't completely sworn off trying more science fiction after reading House of Suns by Alistair Reynolds, but I don't think he's an author I'd read more of, and certainly not a whole collection! You surprise me, Claire Oh wait - no, you don't Hmm. Now I know I've read some Alistair Reynolds along the way, but I forget which. Pretty sure it's none of these though. I'll have to check this out!! Be interested to know if you remember which one it was, Ian I've read all but one of the books in this collection and there isn't a bad one among them. Redemption Ark, Galactic North and particularly Chasm City are fantastic (the latter's one of my all-time faves). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I checked - it was "Pushing Ice" and "Terminal World". I enjoyed Pushing Ice except for the ending, but I thought Terminal World was amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 I checked - it was "Pushing Ice" and "Terminal World". I enjoyed Pushing Ice except for the ending, but I thought Terminal World was amazing. Wow, I was thinking it might have been Blue Remembered Earth, for some reason, so I didn't see those two coming! I read Terminal World a couple of years back - thought it had some brilliant ideas. I haven't read Pushing Ice yet - I've been saving that one and Century Rain until after I've finished the 'Revelation Space' books, so I'll be getting to them soon, hopefully. I really like the sound of Century Rain: it's a noir-ish thriller set in an alternate 1950s Paris Or something like that I've also just pre-ordered his forthcoming novella, Slow Bullets. I'm currently getting annoyed that all but a few of C J Cherryh's novels aren't available on Kindle in the UK but are available in the US. I just spent the past 10 minutes on Amazon going through her books and clicking the 'I'd like to read this book on Kindle' button. That'll learn 'em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Finished The Wine Dark Sea, the 16th of Patrick O'Brian's 'Aubrey/Maturin' series. Now reading Alastair Reynolds' The Prefect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I hope you enjoyed The Wine Dark Sea and that you enjoy The Prefect . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 The Wine Dark Sea (Aubrey/Maturin Book #16) by Patrick O'Brian 1993 - Harper ebook - 339 pages At the opening of a voyage filled with disaster and delight, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are in pursuit of a privateer sailing under American colours through the Great South Sea. Stephen’s objective is to set the revolutionary tinder of South America ablaze to relieve the pressure on the British government which has blundered into war with the young and uncomfortably vigorous United States. The shock and barbarity of hand-to-hand fighting are sharpened by O’Brian’s exact sense of period, his eye for landscape and his feel for a ship under sail. So the end of Jack and Stephen's five book journey out of time finally draws to a close in a typically organic and unexpected O'Brian way. Privateers, volcanoes, pirates, whalers, disasters, uprisings and more twists and turns, packed into a 339 page book. Fabulous, wonderful, absorbing, exciting, hilarious, marvellous, fantastic, glorious. Words I learned whilst reading this book, among others: atrabilious - melancholy or irritable comminuted - reduced to minute particles or fragments supererogation - the performance of more work than duty requires cuddy - a stupid person mansuetude - meekness; gentleness inspissated - thicken or congeal asafoetida - a fetid resinous gum obtained from the roots of a herbaceous plant, used in herbal medicine gleet - a watery discharge from the urethra caused by gonorrhoeal infection Had to save that one till last Memorable Quotes: 'What is twelve sixes?' asked Jack. 'Ninety-two,' said Stephen. Oh dear, something tells me Jack is overvaluing his prizes . . . 'Now, brother, your boat has been hooked on this age. You will be much better by yourself for a while. I am afraid I have been like a bear in a wh-ore's bed these last few days.' . . . whilst he continues to mangle well-known phrases and sayings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Glad they continue to impress, only 4 left now! I just bought Master and Commander for £1.99 on Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 "Inspissated" - try saying that one when you're pi$$ed. Bet you'd sound like a right cuddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed this book. Those are some interesting new words, I didn't know them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 "Inspissated" - try saying that one when you're pi$$ed. Bet you'd sound like a right cuddy. I would not! I might be a bit atrabilious, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 (edited) The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds 2007 - Gollancz ebook - 512 pages A rollercoaster ride through the dark and turbulent universe of REVELATION SPACE: an interstellar thriller where nothing - and no one - is what they seem ... So this is (currently) the last of the Revelation Space novels by Alastair Reynolds. It is a stand-alone story, and it is a prequel. At its heart The Prefect is a detective story. Reynolds has taken the beating heart of a noir-ish crime thriller and twisted it kicking and screaming into this wonderfully deep and rich backdrop he has created. Chasm City also fit this bill, to a degree, and he also did similar with Century Rain, which is one I have yet to read, so he has an obvious fascination with if not the Sam Spades and Philip Marlowes of this world then at least the atmosphere and feel of the genre. It begins with a mass murder. A habitat, home to over nine hundred people, is torn apart by a weapon of some sort. Tom Dreyfus, a Prefect (effectively a police detective), is sent to investigate. He finds that no-one is left alive, the only clue an unusual, half-finished sculpture, and an indication that the destruction was caused by a Conjoiner drive - the engines that power the huge Lighthugger spaceships belonging to the Ultras, the infamous part-human-part-machine spacefarers. Meanwhile, his subordinate Thalia Ng is sent to four other habitats to fix a bug in the polling software. Every governmental decision in the Glitter Band (Don't. Just. Don't ) - a ring of thousands of habitats in space around the planet Yellowstone, home to Chasm City itself - is made by polling the populace. Someone has found a way to exploit it and Thalia heads off to put this right. Needless to say, these two plot threads are not quite as separate as they appear, but they serve to make The Prefect a much more straightforward read than Reynolds' usual fare. The book does not suffer for it: it is streamlined, thoughtfully constructed, and has excellent characters. Reynolds' books usually start slow and then, as the various plotlines converge, start to snowball. This one's slightly different in that it maintains a solid pace throughout. What is perhaps more surprising is that he abandons his usual flare for the epic and makes this a much more intimate affair. It doesn't 'wow' in the way his other books often do - and there was no point where my jaw hit the floor like it did during Chasm City, Redemption Ark or House of Suns - but there are still plenty of twists and - ahem - revelatory moments, and a wonderfully downbeat ending. I guess the main question is whether or not it can be read in isolation from the rest of the Revelation Space series. That's a hard one for me to judge, but I do feel it probably gained extra depth from having a foreknowledge of what is going to happen in these people's future. But I also think it works as a separate entity, so it might be worth a look for those new to Reynolds, although I'd still recommend Chasm City as a starting point. Nevertheless, The Prefect is a brilliant book. Highly recommended. Edited May 6, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Great review! I think I will be starting with Chasm City when I start with this author, because you said so. I also own The Prefect, you make it sound like an interesting read . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Do you have one of those digital countdown clocks going on the wall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 I have a Digital Man Countdown clock Or maybe it's just a Clockwork Angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Foreigner (Foreigner Book #1) by C J Cherryh 1994 - DAW paperback - 428 pages The first book in C.J.Cherryh's eponymous series, Foreigner begins an epic tale of the survivors of a lost spacecraft who crash-land on a planet inhabited by a hostile, sentient alien race. Well here's a surprise: on my mission to finish some of the series I already have on the go I suddenly decided to do . . . what? Start another series?? Bloody hell! Although that's not strictly true, I suppose. I first started to read Foreigner last year. I got about a hundred pages in and just wasn't getting into it - the tight third person perspective and introspection wasn't what I wanted or needed at the time. So I put it to one side to return to at a later date, figuring that - as usual, and despite having bought the first three books in the series - it'd probably never happen. Then last week I suddenly got the urge to read some Cherryh and, instead of choosing one of her more stand-alone novels or even the omnibus edition I have of her Morgaine Saga, I decided to pick this one up again - and it just happens to be the first book of her longest series (currently standing at sixteen books) On the plus side the series breaks up into trilogies, so my plan is to read the first trilogy and see how it goes. On the negative, most of the books currently aren't available on Kindle in the UK, so it could potentially take up a lot of shelf space. And they have crap covers. Oh well. Anyway, um, oh yes: the book itself! Well, this time I was in the right mood for it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I understand and agree with a lot of the criticism of it, particularly with regard to repetition. For almost the entirety of the novel we are exclusively inside the main character's head, and it does seem that he goes through the same thoughts and thought processes quite regularly. If I hadn't been in the right mood, as with my aborted attempt to read it last year, this would have probably irritated and bored me. However . . . What I discovered this time was that it all fed in to the main character's paranoia. To fill in a bit, the novel begins with two short 'books' or what I would call prologues, totalling about 70 pages, which tell of a human spacecraft which is heading out to the borders of known space to set up a base in a commodity-rich, recently-discovered area. Something goes wrong. They go astray and end up somewhere else, they know not where. Jump forward a hundred years or so and they have made it to an unknown star system suitable for life and have recently landed on a planet there, where they are about to make first contact with an alien species, the atevi. And then it jumps forward another hundred and fifty years and the main story begins, introducing the main character, Bren Cameron, who is the Paidhi - or translator - and the only human living amongst the atevi, and is living in fear for his life, as some faction within atevi society wants him dead. He is alone, cut off, and he makes the mistake of attributing human thoughts and feelings to these aliens who neither think nor feel as humans do, and who have fourteen words for betrayal but not one for trust. Hence the paranoia and, once I understood that and got into Bren's mind, it worked really, really well. Foreigner is not big on action, although there is some. It's more a sociopolitical examination of culture clash. Cherryh's writing style is engaging and she wants the reader to think about what Bren is dealing with, deliberately leaving some aspects vague enough that there were several lightbulb moments when I worked it out. That's part of the repetition, too - Bren keeps going back over things, working it out for himself as I worked it out for myself. Sometimes he seems a bit whiny but generally Cherryh's characterisation is some of the best I've come across in science fiction. I'd say this is a very good book that does a lot of groundwork and worldbuilding. The atmosphere is oppressive but there's a brilliant revelation towards the end that opens things up beautifully. And this blurb from Goodreads is just too enticing for me not to want to read more: From its beginnings as a human-alien story of first contact, the Foreigner series has become a true science fiction odyssey, following a civilization from the age of steam through early space flight to confrontations with other alien species in distant sectors of space. It is the masterwork of a truly remarkable author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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