st barbara Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Currently reading "The Phantom Chronicles" edited by Joe Gentile & Lori Gentile. Still three stories to go and a rather mixed bag (as "themed" anthologies tend to be !) I particularly enjoyed the story "Here, There, Everywhere " by Nancy Kilpatrick which featured a female "Phantom" vs Jack The Ripper ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Iron Kissed, by Patricia Briggs, third in the Mercy Thompson series of urban fantasy novels. Solid story, and the author makes no effort to downplay the horrific elements of Fae, Werewolves, or humans, come to that. Characters remain true to their motivations and are nicely fleshed out for the most part, though familiarity with the previous books is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The three Lost Fleet novels so far. I was well into them before I stopped and said "Hey! This guy's playing Master of Orion!" Which isn't quite true, but the two different methods of interstellar travel do remind of the distinction between the stargate and regular means of travel in the game. It raised a couple of questions in my mind. The Sleeping Hero of the series scores victories by introducing lost arts of formation fighting, but really, how does formation matter in space fleet combat as long as they're spread out enough that they can't collide, or be caught in explosions centered on other ships? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The three Lost Fleet novels so far. I was well into them before I stopped and said "Hey! This guy's playing Master of Orion!" Which isn't quite true' date=' but the two different methods of interstellar travel do remind of the distinction between the stargate and regular means of travel in the game. It raised a couple of questions in my mind. The Sleeping Hero of the series scores victories by introducing lost arts of formation fighting, but really, how does formation matter in space fleet combat as long as they're spread out enough that they can't collide, or be caught in explosions centered on other ships?[/quote'] A good formation should allow you to maximize the firepower of your fleet against the designated targets while depriving your opponent of the capacity to do the same. Which is something the author should obviously have expounded upon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished "Ysabel" by Guy G. Kay. It took a little while to get going, but once book 2 started, I eagerly finished it. In my opinion, "Ysabel" is not as captivating as the Fionavar Tapestry series or even "Tigana", but it was better than "Last Light of the Sun". I am now starting "Memories of Ice" by Steven Erikson. Third book of the Malazan series. I have VERY high hopes for this one! *******************Ysabel Spoiler Alert********************* The ending was a bit anti-climatic, but not much of a let down. I like it when the villains of a story are capable of random decent acts and are not maniacally evil (see 'Tyrion' of A Song of Ice/Fire series). But this book's antagonists were a little too civilized for my tastes. A BIG plus was the inclusion of two characters from the Fionavar Tapestry series.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Temeraire by Naomi Novik. Possibly YA rather than adult fantasy. Dragons during the Napoleonic War. Highly recommended - I'm finding the series (there are four so far, but I've only finished the first) to be much easier to get into and far more difficult to put down than the similarly genre book - Jonathon Strange and Mr Norell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. It's slightly speculative, but only in that it's set in a modern day with more surveillance. Kids in school are monitored by "gait recognition" cameras, and their online activities are logged in the free laptops handed out the first day of school. Into such an environment comes a terrorist attack, blowing up the main bridge in San Francisco. (Not the Golden Gate; the one people actually drive over.) There's also an attack on the BART at the same time. Our protagonist has the misfortune to be close by the first explosion when the Department of Homeland Security arrives on the scene, and they take him into custody. The book is a YA, in that the protagonist is a high school kid, and he explains a lot to the reader. There are some explanations I found necessary, like the mathematical formula behind problems with false positives and test accuracy. Some of the history lessons on civil disobedience were also necessary. But there were also explanations of a number of online phenomena that seemed second nature to me. The narrator speaks as if he's explaining things to a rather wide audience, and that's probably one of the strengths. Some adult readers who already know that stuff might find it annoying. I rather enjoyed the premise of the book, though. Marcus and his friends seek to bring down DHS through some technologically-enhanced civil disobedience. They show the holes in the security and screening systems. Of course, they're viewed by most adults in the story as akin to the terrorists for their actions. With how close to the real political climate this book came, the message seemed a little heavyhanded, at times. I was concerned the book would oversimplify the problem so it could be "solved," but it took no such easy out. The ending was nuanced, but positive. I liked it. I'd give it to any kid over 12 I knew, though I would recommend that the parents screen it, and possibly shelve it until they felt the kid could handle it. There is some sexual content (the main character is a 17-year-old boy), handled tastefully. The most graphic scene, IMO, is a first-person account of waterboarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I've just read "Our Gods Wear Spandex" by Christopher Knowles (recommended by a number of people on this site as I recall ) Fascinating stuff, although he does occasionally draw a slightly long bow in order to fit comic book heroes into his thesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished two collections of Richard Matherson short stories. I Am Legend and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. All i can say is "the man can tell a story." Oh, and I grabbed another collection titled Duel and intend to get Hell House soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted May 28, 2008 Report Share Posted May 28, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished the first of the Doc Savage doubles I bought. Brand of the Werewolf and Fear Cay. They are magazine size reprints with additional material like a story on Pat Savage, and one on the Doc Savage radio show. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolgroth Posted May 28, 2008 Report Share Posted May 28, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished the War of Souls trilogy from Weiss/Hickman. The premise was fairly interesting and the writing was solid. I liked it more than a lot of other fantasy I've read lately. Currently working on the Rise of the Solamnia series by Douglas Niles. More on that when I finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shadow Posted May 28, 2008 Report Share Posted May 28, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm re-reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series. Just finished On Basilisk Station and now it's on to The Honor of the Queen, which has absolutely nothing to do with Freddie Mercury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished the first of the Doc Savage doubles I bought. Brand of the Werewolf and Fear Cay. They are magazine size reprints with additional material like a story on Pat Savage, and one on the Doc Savage radio show. CES Is that one of the ones published by "Nostalgia Ventures Press" ? At any rate it is one of (or rather two of) the stories I HAVEN'T got ! Must ask my friendly local S F bookshop to order them in for me. WHich othe "Doc Savages" did you get "csyphrett" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Is that one of the ones published by "Nostalgia Ventures Press" ? At any rate it is one of (or rather two of) the stories I HAVEN'T got ! Must ask my friendly local S F bookshop to order them in for me. WHich othe "Doc Savages" did you get "csyphrett" ? I have a bunch packed away from the old Bantam days, but I saw like eight or nine of those doubles and just picked them up. I don't have them in front of me right now, but I know I have Cold Death/South Pole Terror, Man of Bronze/Land of Terror, The Squeaking Goblin, the Dust of Death. I know I read some of these years ago but the rereading is still just as good. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm re-reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series. Just finished On Basilisk Station and now it's on to The Honor of the Queen' date=' which has absolutely nothing to do with Freddie Mercury. [/quote'] I have re-read most of that series so many times!!! The Honor of the Queen really took off when Honor had Dinner with Protector Benjamin. That was probably when I got hooked on the series. Most recently, I have Read "Small Favor" by Jim Butcher. It is scary, I am now more upset that I have to wait for one of his books, from EITHER of his two series, than I am about David Weber's books. I WANT MORE BUTCHER!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shadow Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished The Honor of the Queen last night, starting on The Short Victorious War. Gewing, Weber has the sequels to Saganami and Slaves coming out in 2009 and then the next Honor book in 2010. I wish he would he would pare down the side voyages and give us more Honor. At least one every other year, though I'd prefer yearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished The Forever War and then picked up the author's preferred edition, but haven't read it to see what's new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished The Honor of the Queen last night' date=' starting on [i']The Short Victorious War[/i]. Gewing, Weber has the sequels to Saganami and Slaves coming out in 2009 and then the next Honor book in 2010. I wish he would he would pare down the side voyages and give us more Honor. At least one every other year, though I'd prefer yearly. Yeah, but the sequel to Off Armageddon Reef should be out soon - as long as that's near the same quality as the first one, I can live with long gaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caris Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished The Honor of the Queen last night' date=' starting on [i']The Short Victorious War[/i]. Gewing, Weber has the sequels to Saganami and Slaves coming out in 2009 and then the next Honor book in 2010. I wish he would he would pare down the side voyages and give us more Honor. At least one every other year, though I'd prefer yearly. I don't know. He really seems to be running out of ideas as what to do with Honor. The last two novels featuring her, seemed... less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Soon I Will Be Invincible. A bit disappointed in Fatale. I would have been happier if she'd made a little headway in her investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished The Honor of the Queen last night' date=' starting on [i']The Short Victorious War[/i]. Gewing, Weber has the sequels to Saganami and Slaves coming out in 2009 and then the next Honor book in 2010. I wish he would he would pare down the side voyages and give us more Honor. At least one every other year, though I'd prefer yearly. WIthout spoilers, what did you think about the "dinner Party" with protector Benjamin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I don't know. He really seems to be running out of ideas as what to do with Honor. The last two novels featuring her' date=' seemed... less.[/quote'] I have to agree. Where do you take a character who has already been through so much? I suspect that is a large part of the rationale for the spinoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shadow Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... WIthout spoilers' date=' what did you think about the "dinner Party" with protector Benjamin?[/quote'] That's awfully hard to do without the spoilers, and I'm not sure that they're needed for a book that's 15 years old, but as you wish. I can honestly say thay the thing I like best about Weber's writing has always been his dialogue. In this particular passage it shines brightly. And, of course, there is that interesting surprise at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shadow Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I have to agree. Where do you take a character who has already been through so much? I suspect that is a large part of the rationale for the spinoffs. The problem is I don't care for the damned spin-offs. But I'll agree that Weber's battle scenes have gotten repetative. I mean although the hardware changes a bit the tactics stay exactly the same: swamp the enemy with missiles. Fire 500,000 missiles; 150,000 are ECM/ECCM; 100,000 are spoofed and lose lock-on; 80,000 are destroyed by counter missiles; 60,000 more get taken out by point defense; leaving 110,000 missiles to ravage the heart of the enemy wall-of-battle. Usually 5 to 10 ships. After which Weber adds: It was overkill. :nonp: No Frickin' Schitt, Dick Tracy! All he's been doing in the last couple is staggering the fleet arrivals and upping the missile total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... [Duel[/i], a short story collection by Richard Matherson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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