Bozimus Posted June 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished the Charmed Sphere by Catherine Asaro (clip). The real point of interest is the magic system. All magic in the setting is drawn from SHAPES.No,I'm not kidding.Essentially,the more sides an object has,the more power a shape-mage can draw from it,with spheres being the most powerful shape (as they effectively have an infinite number of sides).Of course,only the most powerful mages can use spheres. Worse yet,shape-magic is divided into the various colors of the spectrum (from red to violet),and shape-mages cannot use magic of a higher color,with the possible exception of Queen Iris who is the only known rainbow mage in the country.(A rainbow mage's shape-magic encompasses every color,with sapphire (i.e. blue) dominating). I could rule that world with my tye-dyed baseball-sized 30 sided die! MuhAHAHAHAHA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Another book I read recently that would make a great Fantasy Hero campaign is Celestial Matters by Richard Garfinkle. It is a quote "hard science fiction" novel unquote, if your "science" is the science of Aristole. In this universe, the Earth is at the center, there are crystaline celestial spheres, the whole nine yards. This is on my list of possible books to read. Did you enjoy it? What ranking would it deserve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan I normally don't review a book before I finish it, but as I will be stuck in jury duty Monday when I WILL finish said book, here goes... If the book continues through to the end in the pacing/quality it has exhibited since the beginning, I will give it an 8 out of 10. I have a secret love of cyberpunk and while this isn't Neuromancer or Hard Wired, it has many cyberpunk elements. Body augmentation, AI's, computer hacking, but most importantly, what happens to a person/society when you can change bodies (called sleeves) like a suit of clothing. Warning - Those that threw down 'Lord Foul's Bane' because Covenant was a rapist, just do yourself a favor and don't even try to read this book. The protagonist is not a nice man. Not your 'knight in shining armor'. Those of you that need your heroes squeaky clean are warned - T. Kovacs is a flawed protagonist. I am glad this is now a series and the second book is now in print - Broken Angels. I look forward to reading the sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Celestial Matters by Richard Garfinkle This is on my list of possible books to read. Did you enjoy it? What ranking would it deserve? Oh, it's pretty good. It drags in spots but the weird take on "hard science" is very well done, and the story is compelling. It's not in my top five, but it is one of the few novels I will re-read. Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Celestial Matters by Richard Garfinkle Oh, it's pretty good. It drags in spots but the weird take on "hard science" is very well done, and the story is compelling. It's not in my top five, but it is one of the few novels I will re-read. Recommended. Thanks! I will definitely keep an eye out for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan I'm not 14 any more, I MIGHT have slightly more tolerance now. I actually read 4 or 5 of the Covenant books before I gave up... Sounds kind of interesting. I liked Hardwired better, I think, than Neuromancer. Not as philosophically mind-warping, iirc. The Cybersnake, However, still makes me a little squeamish. Mostly because after use, it retracts back into the MOUTH! Ick. Liked most of the rest, though. What did I just finish reading? I can't remember. I am 1/3 way through 1634: the Galileo affair, but I have been stalled there for a couple weeks. Just kind of annoyed, frustrated, bored. Have you read S. Andrew Swann's "Forests of the night" etc series? I really enjoyed them. He has a conspiracy fetish, I think but some good writing. Someone on the board, iirc is a friend of his. I normally don't review a book before I finish it, but as I will be stuck in jury duty Monday when I WILL finish said book, here goes... If the book continues through to the end in the pacing/quality it has exhibited since the beginning, I will give it an 8 out of 10. I have a secret love of cyberpunk and while this isn't Neuromancer or Hard Wired, it has many cyberpunk elements. Body augmentation, AI's, computer hacking, but most importantly, what happens to a person/society when you can change bodies (called sleeves) like a suit of clothing. Warning - Those that threw down 'Lord Foul's Bane' because Covenant was a rapist, just do yourself a favor and don't even try to read this book. The protagonist is not a nice man. Not your 'knight in shining armor'. Those of you that need your heroes squeaky clean are warned - T. Kovacs is a flawed protagonist. I am glad this is now a series and the second book is now in print - Broken Angels. I look forward to reading the sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just remembered. I recently read "Something from the Night Side" I think it was by Simon R. Green (?) interesting. Kind of like Neverwhere. Darker. I intend to read more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Trouble Twisters and Ensign Flandry by Poul Anderson. I picked those up after being somewhat disappointed by On Basilisk Station, the first of the Honor Harrington books by David Weber; I remembered reading one of the Flandry stories years ago, and wanted to compare and contrast two very different space navies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan I'm not 14 any more, I MIGHT have slightly more tolerance now. I actually read 4 or 5 of the Covenant books before I gave up... Sounds kind of interesting. I liked Hardwired better, I think, than Neuromancer. Not as philosophically mind-warping, iirc. The Cybersnake, However, still makes me a little squeamish. Mostly because after use, it retracts back into the MOUTH! Ick. Liked most of the rest, though. What did I just finish reading? I can't remember. I am 1/3 way through 1634: the Galileo affair, but I have been stalled there for a couple weeks. Just kind of annoyed, frustrated, bored. Have you read S. Andrew Swann's "Forests of the night" etc series? I really enjoyed them. He has a conspiracy fetish, I think but some good writing. Someone on the board, iirc is a friend of his. Walter Jon Williams (author of Hardwired) also wrote "Voice of the Whirlwind", a very decent SF book you might like. Yes, I read and very much enjoyed the first two books in S. Andrew Swann's Forest of the Night series. The third book was a bit of a let down, IMO. Yes, a poster on these boards is a close friend of Swann, but I can't remember who. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan The 4th book is pretty interesting. Fearful Symmetry, iirc. Walter Jon Williams (author of Hardwired) also wrote "Voice of the Whirlwind", a very decent SF book you might like. Yes, I read and very much enjoyed the first two books in S. Andrew Swann's Forest of the Night series. The third book was a bit of a let down, IMO. Yes, a poster on these boards is a close friend of Swann, but I can't remember who. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just remembered. I recently read "Something from the Night Side" I think it was by Simon R. Green (?) interesting. Kind of like Neverwhere. Darker. I intend to read more. I am looking forward to reading the next book in that series from Simon R. Green titled "Agents of Light and Darkness". A friend says that it takes only 4 pages to get going then hauls buttocks until the very end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan The 4th book is pretty interesting. Fearful Symmetry' date=' iirc.[/quote'] I forgot about that one. Like the third one with the rabbit, it wasn't bad, just not as good as the first two...imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Celestial Matters by Richard Garfinkle Oh, it's pretty good. It drags in spots but the weird take on "hard science" is very well done, and the story is compelling. It's not in my top five, but it is one of the few novels I will re-read. Recommended. Saw it on Half.com for $1.98, Like New, hardback. A little over $5 with shipping! Now it is mine, all mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished two books in rapid succession, both recommended by a friend of mine. "Other People's Heroes" by Blake Petit is a humorous look at superheroes. The tag per Amazon: Imagine, for a moment, that you live in a world full of superheroes. Imagine a world where people bend steel in their bare hands, where champions dart across the sky, where avengers step out of the shadows to protect the innocent. Imagine a man larger than life protecting the innocent, imagine a family of heroes, imagine warriors dedicated to the safety of mankind. Imagine you've worshiped them your entire life. Then imagine it's all a hoax. Imagine that your champions are actors, the fights choreographed... imagine the real heroes vanished a decade ago. Imagine you're the only one who knows the truth. And imagine what you would do to put things right... I highly recommend this book. Petit writes with a very light touch, using lots of humor and satire without giving up action or believability (in the context of the genre, anyway). It's a quick read, too, but very enjoyable. The other book is "Those Who Walk In Darkness" by John Ridley. The tag per Publisher's Weekly: When a supervillain wastes San Francisco in this high-octane futuristic thriller from screenwriter Ridley (The Drift), the U.S. decides to expel all "metanormals" within its borders. Those who choose to remain are hunted down by MTacs, police units who only have one job-kill the freaks. It isn't a terribly original premise-Batman fans will recognize the influence of Frank Miller's seminal graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns-but that's fine, because a premise is all it is, and Ridley knows it. Soledad O'Roark, a 26-year-old MTac and an engineering genius, has a virulent hatred of metanormals. Her tale is one of unremitting darkness, and from early on it's easy to tell it won't have a happy ending. For all the bleakness, though, Ridley makes it hard not to pull for Soledad. Readers will find themselves torn between sympathy, empathy, pity and disgust, often on the same page. With its lavish fight scenes, the book was clearly written with an eye on film adaptation. Yet Ridley, whose Hollywood credits include work on Three Kings and Undercover Brother, knows how to make his story work both as a novel and as a proto-screenplay. And as a novel, it works very well indeed. Much darker with the first one, the morality is very gray in this story, but still quite enjoyable. I found myself hating a lot of what the protagonist represented while still wanting to read more about her. It's a very cool take on the world of metahumans, and not one I've seen done in games. Again, highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Larry Niven's new book, Ringworlds Children, was a perfect example of how jaded and spoiled one gets after four books of gigantic scale and nearly miraculous technology. All of the elements of the three previous forays to the Ringworld were present and then some. Yet the experience was realtively blase until I considered the whole big picture involved. I highly recommend it to any fan of Niven's "Known Space' and Ringworld fans in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Larry Niven's new book, Ringworlds Children, was a perfect example of how jaded and spoiled one gets after four books of gigantic scale and nearly miraculous technology. All of the elements of the three previous forays to the Ringworld were present and then some. Yet the experience was realtively blase until I considered the whole big picture involved. I highly recommend it to any fan of Niven's "Known Space' and Ringworld fans in particular. Another Niven fan!! Have you read any of his other non-Known Space collaborations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Another Niven fan!! Have you read any of his other non-Known Space collaborations? I have all of his solo stuff. The Man Kzin Wars was really uneven and I stopped after the third or fourth one. Lately I have heard raves about some of the stuff in the more recent volumes. Otherwise, Niven/Pournelle, Niven/Barnes etc., I have read almost everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I have all of his solo stuff. The Man Kzin Wars was really uneven and I stopped after the third or fourth one. Lately I have heard raves about some of the stuff in the more recent volumes. Otherwise, Niven/Pournelle, Niven/Barnes etc., I have read almost everything. This definitely qualifies for the almost category: The Flying Sorcerers with David Gerold? I am a confirmed Niven Nut. The only ones I have not read are the most recent ones in the 'Magic Goes Away' series, Burning City, and Rainbow Mars from the weird timetraveling/alternate universe stories (convergent series?! i can't remember the name!) I am really looking forward to the followup to Inferno! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... This definitely qualifies for the almost category: The Flying Sorcerers with David Gerold? I am a confirmed Niven Nut. The only ones I have not read are the most recent ones in the 'Magic Goes Away' series, Burning City, and Rainbow Mars from the weird timetraveling/alternate universe stories (convergent series?! i can't remember the name!) I am really looking forward to the followup to Inferno! I first read a short story version of Flying Sorcerers in a magazine like Fantasy and Science Fiction in the seventies, as a kid. Later I read the book and was old enough to know who Niven was and who Purple was, I really was able to appreciate it. I have read Burning City, but not Rainbow Mars. I didn't even know there was a follow up to Inferno, so I owe you big time, Hyper-Man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I am a confirmed Niven Nut. The only ones I have not read are the most recent ones in the 'Magic Goes Away' series' date=' Burning City, and Rainbow Mars from the weird timetraveling/alternate universe stories (convergent series?! i can't remember the name!)[/quote'] The Flight of the Horse is the collection of Svetz stories. Several of which are reprinted in Rainbow Mars. It's a light read, but probably only of interest if you're a fan of the other Svetz stories. And perhaps a grognard on Mars literature (Burroughs, Lewis, Wells, etc.) Started reading The Barsoom Project by Niven/Barnes, but had to put it aside so I could finish Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose. Not sci-fi -- it's history -- but oh so good, especially if you enjoyed the HBO miniseries by Spielberg/Hanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozimus Posted July 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 Bloodstone by David Gemmell Book 5 in a strange series that started as fantasy and ended as Post Apoc. This book lost focus midway through but redeemed itself somewhat with a healthy dose of action. It ended very abruptly and was somewhat of a letdown at the end. I enjoyed the first two books, much less well known IMO, in the series more than the last three in congregate. I think this had something to do with expectations that were not quite met by the Jon Shannow books (last three). I have NEVER read a series that started as Fantasy and ended with gunfire. Truly, these would have been better as two separate series IMO. I give "Bloodstone" a 6 out of 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished the final two parts of the Windsinger Quartet by Megan Lindholm. Very low power action focussing on a gypsy trader and her friend. The third book looks at a trap weaved by a Windsinger against Ki (the gypsy trader) which sends her into another realm. Here she becomes entranced and tries to create a new marvel which is what the thing in the realm wants until she is rescued by her friend. The fourth book deals with transporting human cargo, an empath which they don't discover until later. A rebellion and a villainous Duke complicate matters. I would give this 7 to 7.5 out of 10. Lightray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSword Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I have been reading Skylark of Space by EE Smith. Its quite enjoyable, a nice light read, and classic pulp. The main character is strong, a brilliant inventor and has beautiful gal at his side. The main villain is just as cunning, just as strong, honorable, but dark and amoral. The book definitaly had strong influence on the TV show Lost in Space. I haven't finished it yet, but would give it a 8 of 10. Its straightforward, no real surprises, but its a great read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The fourth book deals with transporting human cargo, an empath which they don't discover until later. A rebellion and a villainous Duke complicate matters. I would give this 7 to 7.5 out of 10. There's four? Drat, now I'm missing #2 and #4. But agree on the rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Flight of the Horse is the collection of Svetz stories. Several of which are reprinted in Rainbow Mars. It's a light read, but probably only of interest if you're a fan of the other Svetz stories. And perhaps a grognard on Mars literature (Burroughs, Lewis, Wells, etc.) Started reading The Barsoom Project by Niven/Barnes, but had to put it aside so I could finish Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose. Not sci-fi -- it's history -- but oh so good, especially if you enjoyed the HBO miniseries by Spielberg/Hanks. The Svets stories are probably my lest favorite of Niven's. I am much more of a fan of his hard-science stuff, even the magic goes away seemed to have more internal logic. Barsoom Project and its predecessor Dream Park would probably be liked by all members of this board since the stories are about a future amusement park that uses holograms, actors and all other available special effects to let people actually 'play' their characters in a role playing game (The Pirates of the Carribean CAN kill you!). Anyway, the GM writes a program (like ever-crack) but exercises real-time control over details like a traditional RPG. I think there is still a fan club that is hard at work pursuing this still. I'm guessing that Worldmaker knows quite a bit more about this being another big Niven fan + his involvment with PBEM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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