Sociotard Posted August 15, 2007 Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... "Un Lun Dun" by China Mieville 978-0345495167 I liked it! The story is the now classic "child poofs into bizzare fantasy world to defeat big baddie as fortold by prophecy" kind, but it puts a very nice twist on the prophecy part. The main girl is from London, and she finds herself in UnLondon (Un Lun Dun). Things often drift back and forth between worlds. They get a lot of our obsolete junk (old typewriters and umbrellas) which become alive upon ariving. Most of our uniforms are based on their obsolete fashions. Things like that. There are many puns in this book, but they use British English so it's a good idea to refresh your knowledge of the subject first. Else, you might not get it when the heroes encounter and ancient order of warriors who look like garbage cans (perfect disguise in an urban environment) and wield oriental weapons. They are known as: The Binja! And yes, the book is illustrated. There is a somewhat preachy tone in the book, of the environmental bend. Now, I recycle and ride my bike and so forth, but for some reason any amount of environmental preaching sets my teeth on edge. It never gets too bad, but the main bad guy is a cloud of smog. It can't help but get a little preachy. Overall, pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Jones. It's a nice romance bound in whimsy and a light touch. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey. There is something nasty in the book which would stop me recommending it to everyone. But it does have a happy ending and it does have the sense of awe you need now and then. Good end to the trilogy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Old Man's War by John Scalzi. A "Future War" story where people get a chance to become young again at 75 - provided they're willing to fight in the unending wars and skirmishes required to protect the colony worlds for ten years. Well written, and has an interestingly different point of view from most space opera, where the protagonist is usually young and brash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Mhoram Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just read a couple of good ones. Primary Inversion by Cahterine Asaro. She's an ex Physics teacher, so the science in it is good, or at least plausible, and it had great characters, a good setting, and was really well written. The first novel in her future history. Also read The Furies of Caldaron by Jim Butcher. He handles traditional fantasy as well as he does urban fantasy noir (i.e. Harry Dresden). Great great stuff. Is on my buy as soon as I have money list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiggins Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Old Man's War by John Scalzi. A "Future War" story where people get a chance to become young again at 75 - provided they're willing to fight in the unending wars and skirmishes required to protect the colony worlds for ten years. Well written, and has an interestingly different point of view from most space opera, where the protagonist is usually young and brash. Its sequal "The ghost brigades is really good too. I'm looking forward to "the last colony" comming out in paperback. Another year, darn it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Daughter of Fantomas. Fantomas escapes from Britain to South Africa and kills an entire liner of people. Now that is evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Soon I Will Be Invinceable - Austin Goodman. Dr Impossible vs The Champions who are missing their most powerful member CoreFire. The story is told by Dr Impossible and by the newest meber of the Champions Fatale. It is very good and catches a lot of what it is to be a hero but also what it is to be a villain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished Voyage by Steven Baxter. It is an alternate historical novel that supposes what would have happened if after the Apollo moon landings NASA had been given the go ahead to land humans on Mars. It is the story of a space program that could have landed man on Mars by 1986. A facinating read about a lost oppertunity and what might have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Oooh, yes. I bought my copy of Voyage in a London used books dealer. I will never ride a spaceship with a NERVA engine, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Soon I Will Be Invinceable - Austin Goodman. Dr Impossible vs The Champions who are missing their most powerful member CoreFire. The story is told by Dr Impossible and by the newest meber of the Champions Fatale. It is very good and catches a lot of what it is to be a hero but also what it is to be a villain. This is so going on my XMAS list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. The second of the Dresden files. I liked it. Four different types of Lycanthrope ? Novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Husband by Dean Koontz: Mitch is a gardener, Holly is a secretary. One day, Mitch gets a call. Someone has kidnapped Holly and they want two million for her, or else. Expiration Date by Tim Powers: Pete Sullivan returns to Los Angeles to figure out why someone wants to use him as a lure for a ghost. Along the way, he has to deal with a ghost eater, a disgraced doctor/witch doctor, a dead man and a kid who has swallowed the spirit of Thomas Edison. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrisUlf Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Expiration Date by Tim Powers: Pete Sullivan returns to Los Angeles to figure out why someone wants to use him as a lure for a ghost. Along the way, he has to deal with a ghost eater, a disgraced doctor/witch doctor, a dead man and a kid who has swallowed the spirit of Thomas Edison. CES I love Expiration Date. Have you ever read its sequel, Earthquake Weather or the first book in the 'series', Last Call? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I've read them all (I think) and found them interesting, but since I read them out of order, hard to comprehend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted September 14, 2007 Report Share Posted September 14, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I love Expiration Date. Have you ever read its sequel' date=' [i']Earthquake Weather[/i] or the first book in the 'series', Last Call? I have read Last Call. Taken together, these books have a theme about manipulating spirits, and time lines, in the hopes of gaining more power, possible immortality. Sherman Oaks apparently was over 150 years old, and still sucking down ghosts to keep going. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted September 14, 2007 Report Share Posted September 14, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished a Jim Butcher-a-Thon! I'd picked up and read Storm Front, the first Dresden File book just before my birthday. My wife picked up books 2 through 6 for my birthday, and after I downed them, I picked up 7 and 8, finishing up all the paperbacks within a week. This week, I read (several days of migraines impeding my progress) the first Codex Alera novel, Furies of Calderon. I'll pick up the other two paperbacks this weekend. Then I'll froth at the mouth until the current hardback for each series is released in paperback. Or else, I'll put it on my library wait list. I'd have to say it looks like Butcher is well on his way to becoming one of the greats in the field. He's simply a solid writer who knows how to move a story along. And that's hard to beat. Furies of Calderon was one of the few 500 page fantasy novels I've read in a while that didn't bog down. Heck, that's probably because he had the sense to keep it to 500 pages, instead of adding another 300-500 pages of bloat. If you like a good page turner, you should like Jim Butcher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Un Lun Dun -- a fun romp that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland crossed with Neverwhere. Which, I think, was the intent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... "Un Lun Dun" by China Mieville 978-0345495167 I liked it! The story is the now classic "child poofs into bizzare fantasy world to defeat big baddie as fortold by prophecy" kind, but it puts a very nice twist on the prophecy part. The main girl is from London, and she finds herself in UnLondon (Un Lun Dun). Things often drift back and forth between worlds. They get a lot of our obsolete junk (old typewriters and umbrellas) which become alive upon ariving. Most of our uniforms are based on their obsolete fashions. Things like that. There are many puns in this book, but they use British English so it's a good idea to refresh your knowledge of the subject first. Else, you might not get it when the heroes encounter and ancient order of warriors who look like garbage cans (perfect disguise in an urban environment) and wield oriental weapons. They are known as: The Binja! And yes, the book is illustrated. There is a somewhat preachy tone in the book, of the environmental bend. Now, I recycle and ride my bike and so forth, but for some reason any amount of environmental preaching sets my teeth on edge. It never gets too bad, but the main bad guy is a cloud of smog. It can't help but get a little preachy. Overall, pretty good. I didn't find it that preachy. But the morality was rather YA (which is the audience). On the other hand, I liked the nice twist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I finished an anthology not long ago called "The Hard SF Renaissance". Like most anthologies, the stories were hit or miss, but they were mostly quite interesting. One of the more interesting ones, I thought, was called "Madame Butterfly" and was based on the butterfly effect. A woman in Japan digs a flower out of a crack in the asphalt and puts it in a sunny windowsill in a pot, and in so doing, saves the life of her son among the moons of Jupiter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I recently completed Walter Moers' City of Dreaming Books. What a wonderful experience! When I read a fantasy book I love to see an entirely new world created in loving detail, and Moers, an author I've never read before, does an inspiring job. As I read I was reminded of Roald Dahl's chocolate factory and Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's universe. Add in a solid dose of Shel Silverstein type prose and the result is an astonishing world where literary dinosaurs meet with Vulpheads and Ugglians in a nexus like city where books are the greatest treasures of all, and the catacombs under the city are a terrifying mystery which only the bravest Bookhunters dare face. Here is a taste of the style via the names of important characters: There's Optimus Yarnspinner (Our young protagonist), Dancelot Wordwright, Colophonius Regenschein and Pfistomel Smyke, to name a few. Moers also throws in a number of anagrammatically named authors, such as Aleisha Wimpersleake, Doylan Cone, and Perla la Gadeon. It's nearly 400 pages, and it starts to feel a bit cumbersome after a while. The plot is intriguing and keeps you going, though it does start to drag a bit in the center. What really kept me going was discovering the new areas of this very intriguing world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Terrier by Tamora Pierce. It's set in the same universe (Tortall) as a bunch of her other stuff (the Lioness, Wild Magic, and Protector of the Small tetralogies, and the Trickster's Choice/Trickster's Queen duology), but set about 200 years earlier in time. This one's a first-person-POV detective story in a high fantasy universe. The protagonist is a trainee city cop on her first "beat" assignment in the slums of a major city. I think it's probably billed as Young Adult, like much of the rest of the author's work, but I don't have the book at hand to be certain of that. I think you could read this and find it a decent read without having read the rest of the stories, though the overlying "frame" in which the first-person narrative fits wouldn't make much sense. It's a solid read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Man with The Golden Torc by Simon R Green: Eddie Drood thinks he's fighting the good fight and keeping the world safe for humanity. Then he is declared rogue and almost killed. He finds out that everything hasn't been like he thought. CES Is that in on of the existing series? I haven't seen it yet! I finally got into the Dresden FIles over the last 6 months. I have read up to Proven Guilty, and have (with some reluctance) decided that he is a better "Writer" than Simon R. Green, but that Green does some things in the Darkside novels that are incredibly fun. And some of the bits involving religion are absolutely amazing! I recently read "Gardens of the Moon" by Ericksen. I think it is the best book I have read in a LONG time. It is similar in many ways to "The Black COmpany" novels by Cook, but I was always kind of "meh" on them, though I read them. I have re-read the ending of "Gardens of the Moon" about 6 times just trying to be certain I understand what is going on. I was told the next book isn't out yet, but there appear to be about 5 other LARGE books in the series/world on the bookstore shelves... :eg: Gardens read much as if the author was writing up the various adventures of several interconnected gaming groups in one large gaming world. Not one single group, but when events bring them into contact, that is what happens. Impressive world, imo. I would give it 5 stars, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Old Man's War by John Scalzi. A "Future War" story where people get a chance to become young again at 75 - provided they're willing to fight in the unending wars and skirmishes required to protect the colony worlds for ten years. Well written, and has an interestingly different point of view from most space opera, where the protagonist is usually young and brash. Good book. I need to find "The ghost legions" at a price I can afford. I would also suggest "Freehold" about the ultimate (afaik) LIBERTARIAN (not just big L) Utopia and the related novel "The Weapon." The latter is very powerful. It may be too dark for many people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Making Money, by Terry Pratchett. It's the second in the "Moist von Lipwig" books (after Going Postal), and has our protagonist in the golden suit taking over the Mint of Ankh-Morpork. And while I generally enjoy Pratchett's work, I found this one to be a bit weak in places. Still, with three fans in the household, the $15* I paid for the hardcover was worth it. JoeG *List price is around $25, so look for a discounted copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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