BoneDaddy Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Care to share examples?"Heller's Leap: Death of a She Planet." 1979. The high tech gadgetry includes a "very expensive" watch that can keep time in two locations at once. That whole digital thing must have seemed pretty far out, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 The Forests of Serre by Patricia McKillip. Quite good fantasy with a very folklorish/fairy tale-ish slant to the story, with a Baba Yaga-type witch and the Firebird showing up. McKillip has defined her own subgenre of wizardry that I quite like, although I think The Book of Atrix Wolfe was slightly superior to this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished The Way to Glory by David Drake. It's a Lt. Leary book, with Leary and Mundy being assigned to a captain that spaced mutineers without a trial, to a sector out of the way from public sentiment. They wind up in a space battle and saving the day. (The actual mutiny is never covered, but the impression I got from the dialogue was that it was all talk and the captain acted out of hand, first in declaring a mutiny, and then executing the prisoners.) CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Just finished The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman. It was a Hugo and Nebula award winner. Tells the story of a soldier who's progressively more and more out of touch with society as relativistic time lags move him further and further into the future. We don't see much of Earth society, but crime is endemic at one point and overpopulation leads to universal homosexuality, until society eventually develops to a post-Singularity type culture. It was, indeed, well-written, and interesting. But it's dated, and I don't mean in the timeline that postulates an interstellar war starting a little before our own time. I mean that it's attitudes toward sexuality and homosexuality (in particular) are dated, naieve, and a little offensive in some way I can't quite put my finger on. Also, the ending kicker is just a bit too propagandish. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to reading the two sequels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted May 15, 2005 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Star Soldiers, Andre Norton. It was a neat idea, but the execution fell flat. It quickly turned into what's bad about the stereotypical fantasy, despite the fact that it was technically science fiction. The main hero is young and inexperienced, but proves to be the only hope in the middle of police action on a backwater planet that goes interstellar - and with the future of humanity resting in the balance no less. I had a hard time finishing it, not because the prose was hard on the eyes, but because it was so dull. There was very little in this novel that was novel, and what was novel was ignored for less interesting directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished the latest Garrett book from Glen Cook. Muttering nickel idols or some such. Great book, better than the last one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kawaii gin neko Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... i just finished "dreams made flesh", which is by anne bishop. it ties up all the loose ends of the black jewels trilogy and gives background stories for the characters and junk... it was AWESOME! ^^ i ate it up in like, three hours flat! ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Reading "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson. Not sure what to make of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Three most recent, in order... Kushiel's Chosen,by Jacqueline Carey, a great low to no magic alternate earth fantasy, with MAJOR adult themes (the main character is a very special form of temple prostitute and spy). Burning Chrome, by William Gibson (and friends). One of the early Cyberpunk short story collections, including a couple of tales that have been made into mediocre movies (Johnny Mnemonic, New Rose Hotel). A reread. Lion's Blood, by Steven Barnes (Streetlethal, Gorgon Child, several collborations with Larry Niven?Jerry Pournelle). Probably, IMO, his best work to date. Another alternate past setting... America in the 1860's, only if Africa had arisen as the dominant center of Old World power... Various African nations have colonized the New World, and work the land with European (mostly Irish) slaves captured by Norse raiders. Really, really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished "World War : Upsetting The Balance" By Harry Turtledove. Very good, although at times his moving the point of view in each chapter can be frustrating. I've just started "O'Fear" by Peter Corris, which is an Aussie crime novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Jim Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... John Ridley: Those Who Walk In Darkness ISBN:0446612022 set in a world where America has outlawed being a "mutant", it's actually pretty good Iron-Age stuff. Having a super power got outlawed when a bad guy destroyed most of San Francisco. the main character is an MTAC cop that handles the super freaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Does Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell qualify as fantasy? I only have 100 pages to go. It's JUST gotten interesting (675 pages in), but I still hate the title characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZootSoot Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Arrrghhhh! The fantasy book I just finished is Eragon. Let's just say no one needed to tell me the author wrote it when he was 15 years old . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Arrrghhhh! The fantasy book I just finished is Eragon. Let's just say no one needed to tell me the author wrote it when he was 15 years old . . . But if you were 15, would you have liked it? I felt that I would have, when I was 15. Not so much now, at age 37, when I read it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Arrrghhhh! The fantasy book I just finished is Eragon. Let's just say no one needed to tell me the author wrote it when he was 15 years old . . . Wow, been a while, hi ZootSoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Forever Free by Joe Haldeman, the sequel to Forever War. The attitudes toward sexuality that irritated me in the latter were not as bad in this one. It was interesting seeing the characters, and how they've dealt with the passage of time. There were hints of some interesting ideas with Man-as-collective-mind... But then everything got goofy and not one, but two dei ex machinae show up (the Omni and the nameless) in an ending that had me rolling my eyes and tossing the book away. That ending was just lazy writing. Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman seems to be in the Forever War continuity, but isn't really, although it explores some of the ideas hinted at in the latter book. Computer jacks allow humans to experience each other's minds, and is discovered to "humanize" even psychopaths. Religious fanatics are trying to use a huge scientific experiment to destroy and restart creation. It's a better book, well paced, with a good plot. Again, some ideas are just not explored -- the almost-post-scarcity economy that the nanoforges seem to be causing, the suggestion that the government is secretly causing the war (a major theme revisited from Forever War). Still, of the three Haldeman Forever ... books, I enjoyed this one the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... To update on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, I finished it, and STILL don't particularly like either of the title characters. I wish it could've focused on one of the secondary characters, or something. It was abut 700 pages longer than it should've been. Unforgivable. Really, really well-written, but unforgivable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Sounds to me like you need to read the Gormenghast trilogy, by Peake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... To update on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, I finished it, and STILL don't particularly like either of the title characters. I wish it could've focused on one of the secondary characters, or something. It was abut 700 pages longer than it should've been. Unforgivable. Really, really well-written, but unforgivable. Hmmm...I kind of liked it. It was a lot more like Gulliver's Travels than Lord of the Rings, not only in the obvious areas (like time period), but also in style. It's kind of wordy, kind of meandering, but very well developed in terms of characters and their relationships. All the footnotes helped add life to the story...made it seem real. It's easy to see how you might not like the title characters (I won't say main characters, because Stephen Black and the gentleman with thistle-down hair are as important as the two magicians), since they are definitely flawed characters. Norrell is mousy and timid, and thinks that others aren't capable of responsibly using magic, while Strange is arrogant, and usually confirms Norrell's fears by his wild applications of magic. In all, not typical fantasy fare. A lot more intrigue than derring-do. Not for everyone, but a nice change of pace for those who have read enough sword-swinging quests. I'm hoping for a sequel of some sort, maybe not necessarily about Strange and Norrell, but something set in the same world in about the same time period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... To "Zootsoot" The interesting question is HOW did "Eregon" get published ? You say it reads like it was written by a fifteen year old (which of course it was) and I have heard others say equally scathing things about it. I wonder what convoluted set of circumstances led to IT being published rather than any one of a hundred other fantasy manuscripts that are out there ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... To "Zootsoot" The interesting question is HOW did "Eregon" get published ? You say it reads like it was written by a fifteen year old (which of course it was) and I have heard others say equally scathing things about it. I wonder what convoluted set of circumstances led to IT being published rather than any one of a hundred other fantasy manuscripts that are out there ? I think someone decided that it would make a great book by a kid for kids. That, and kids of the right age group apparently ate it right up. I mean, come on, if you're 13-15 do you really care what someone who is 37 (like me), might say about the book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... HAWK and FISHER by Simon Green I have mixed thoughts about this series. I read books 2-6, and didn't miss anything by not reading book 1 (meaning the books can be read in almost any order). Good points: 1) Perfect setting for a campaign. Hawk and Fisher are Captains of the City Guard, which means they walk the beat and solve crimes. 2) Magic is used in a very "mechanical" way. Officers are alerted by mental "radio" to any needed developments. Injured officers get hit with healing spells after fights. Magic cops (literally) provide backup on some operations. 3) Colorful characters. Many of the secondary characters are quite interesting. 4) The Street of Gods. The street where all the temples are. The best part is it is exactly as long as it needs to be (which is far longer than the 1/2 mile on the official maps). Also, the street is outside of "time and space," meaning that it might be day on the street and night elsewhere. Or, it might be wet and raining elsewhere, and the street is bright and sunny. And the street is crawling magical cast-offs -- so you can freely toss in just about anything at will. Bad Points: 1) Repetition. Simon Green uses the exact same paragraphs to describe Hawk and Fisher in every story. He also suffers from the (IMO) flaw of using the same term over and over and over. So if someone calls X "a freak" everyone uses the term. Also, if he uses a technical term (say "mercenary"), he will use it over, and over, and... well, you get the idea. He needs to expand his vocabulary. 2) Flaws that aren't flaws. Hawk is getting old (he's over 30!), with one eye and a developing gut. But this never is an issue. He is never blind-sided due to his one eye, he never runs out of breath, and so on. Fisher has no real flaws. Actually, she's the action one, he's the thinking one (which is a nice switch), except the times where Green seems to switch these traits (argh). 3) Hawk and Fisher are utter badasses. Yes, they can kick everyone's collective asses and keep going. Yes they are the baddest of the bad, yes, they are honest, tough, take-no-crap cops. And yes, I have seen this fight scene over, and over, and over, and.... Granted, reading all 5 books in a row really highlights this, but man, if got to be overdone (which may be the point). And what really annoys me is how much Combat Luck the two have. That get a little silly (we don't wear armor because it slows us down). That's a load of crap. The Guard should wear mail vests or something. For those times when someone tries to slip a knife in your ribs, you know? And what sort of axe does Hawk have anyway? A magical one? It cuts through chain like it was cloth, never gets dull and never gets damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... To "Susano" I haven't read "Eregon"; don't have a copy and I have plenty of other things to read but you are probably right. There is obviously much more of a teenage market for SF/Fantasy out there than there was when I was that age, so the publishers don't have to worry what old farts like us think of their books . I am just about to finish "Artifact" by Greg Benford. I wouldn't have called it either S F or Fantasy (or even Horror) although it has a scientific premise, more a "science thriller" I guess, but interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Wheel of Time - 1st Book I have never seen characters written so winy before. It set my teeth on edge. I couldn't finish it. Sorry, just my opinion. Cheers QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caris Posted June 4, 2005 Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished Grave Peril, third of the Harry Dresden novels. I started reading these, because a friend recommend them. They are OK, better than the worst of the Anita Blake novel, but they have yet to reach the level of the best of the Anita Blake novels. I also don't think they will reach that level, for me at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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