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geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: Glenmael on Tue, 10 November 2015, 21:54:13
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So the story goes a little like this; I was a huge fan of fantasy and sci-fi novels and then sort of dropped off (possibliy due to work commitments), now I do quite a bit of driving, to and from work/to remote work sites, and have been rapped up in fantasy and sci-fi novels all over again albeit in the form of audiobooks.
You guys/gals been reading anything?
Not sure if this style of thread has been posted before (one books thread in 2012), I'd like to run it as follows:
Novel/series title
Author
I loved; 1 liner
I hated; 1 liner
Maybe limit ourselves to the three novels, my genre of choice is clearly fantasy/sci-fi but it could be anything.
I'll start (in no particular order):
The Stormlight Archive
Brandon Sanderson
I loved; Wonderful characters and magical system
I hated; Slow to get things started
Gentlemen Bastard
Scott Lynch
I loved; Colorful language/political intrigue
I hated; Sabetha
The Dresden Files
Jim Butcher
I loved; Modern fantasy style with comedic relief
I hated; Not being able to pat the Mister cat
:cool:
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Replying because of no love. I'd love to see a conversation get started here.
I read a lot. I've read more in the past than I do now (it varies), but I generally have a consistent 2 books going at a time with an audiobook for commutes and a normal book for other times. I could go on for probably actual hours about the good stuff I've read at whatever point in the past, but for now, maybe I'll just list some stuff I am currently reading/read recently.
- Ilona Andrews - The Kate Daniels Series: I've been listening to these on audiobook, and would definitely recommend them that way if that's your jam (though the narrator has a tendency to not be great at european accents, she nails the rest of it). Takes place in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta, GA (USA), in a world where waves of Magic and Technology alternate. Definitively Urban Fantasy, it nevertheless presents a cool setting with some unique ideas in a genre rife with copycats. Written by a husband and wife team, I find that even though it's narrated in first person from a female POV and does indulge many of the tropes of the genre (there is a decently prevalent romance subplot), it remains balanced and doesn't seem to give too skewed a perception of any gender or character. Fun and actionpacked.
I loved: Post-apocalyptic Atlanta
I hated: Still falls into a lot of urban fantasy tropes - Ben Aaronavitch - Rivers of London Series: Full disclosure, I just started this one, so I don't have a full impression, but it's enjoyable so far. Urban Fantasy again, this one follows a young police officer who's new to the Metropolitan Police Force in London. It's kind of the typical ordinary-person-discovers-theres-things-beneath-the-surface type tale, but on the other hand, it's clearly treating the whole police-force-newbie thing seriously, so there's a neat procedural element to it, and it's not like the main character suddenly becomes an instant badass. Also some very neat descriptions of London--the author is a native, and it shows.
I loved: Cool police procedural + magic! Also, London!
I hated: Hard to say, since I just started. It's maybe a bit of a slow start? - Daniel Suarez - Daemon Series: The only non-fantasy/urban fantasy entry in this particular list. I guess this would be qualified as a techno-thriller? A rich and genius game developer starts up a deadly game after his death. This one was interesting. It's a two book series, and it definitely took a turn I wasn't expecting. I don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say this was engaging, tightly plotted, and for relying so heavily on computers, technology, and the internet for its plot, nothing felt unbelievable (at least from my semi-educated eyes). If you've ever watched/read Sword Art Online, this starts out a bit like that, except with the game brought into the real world. I'd also recommend this series if you enjoyed Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I loved: Cool tech + technologically believable + fast paced thriller.
I hated: Second book was tonally very different from the first. Takes on a more clearly political commentary bent. Still good, but a bit offputting.
I've been on a bit of an Urban Fantasy and Thriller kick lately, so that influences this post. If anyone wants a more general list of recommendatios, I'd be happy to write something up. I
love talking books, and although I'm mostly only well read in Fantasy, I bet I can find a recommendation for someone :)[/list]
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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Philip K ****
I loved; All of it
Ubik
Philip K ****
I loved; All of it
and now I'm reading through Ulysses
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It doesn't get much better than the Revelation Space series by Alastair Reynolds.
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Seveneves
Neal Stephenson
I loved; His occasional dry humor, depth of knowledge, way of explaining things
I hated; How the book is essentially two stories shoved into one
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Recent reads:
>Blood Meridian, By: Cormac McCarthy,
The Good: Amazing prose, very intense journey which is on par with works like paradise lost and Mody **** TBH.
The characters are amazing, dark, so, so, so dark. But not in an edgy way. This book delivers truly biting, uneasy views of evil in the antagonist who is often considered one of the baddest bad guys of all time; from what i've read I would agree.
This is certainly my favorite novel.
The Bad: For me there was nothing bad about this book. But being objective I think some readers would be off put by some stuff. Namely writing style, punctuation, plot and character building.
This is one of those things where "plot" is not the driving force, its just a journey which follows the main character who is only called "the kid" for most of the book and he never gets a name or much overt character building. This is a book where you have to read into all the small details, which I like, and many people do, but it might be made hard by the writing style and punctuation.
That is, the style and punctuation is purposefully "archaic". McCarthy basically only uses periods, and a comma very, very seldom. He basically replaces commas with the word "and" which creates a sort of old style biblical feeling.
It can be harder to dive into, but once you do its worth it.
>Infinite Jest, By: David Foster Wallace,
The Good: Very unique gargantuan 1300~ page novel. The story is everything post-modern taken to the extreme. It follows: kids at a tennis academy, struggling with finding success; recovering addicts at a half way house, who are all going off on their own adventures and misadventures; a mysterious plot to destroy America by discovering a movie so entertaining that anyone who watches it will want to do nothing else but watch it for the rest of their lives at any cost; a spy fiction thriller about government and terrorist forces both trying to track down characters who might know about the secret location of the weapon, the terrorists are wheel-chair bound assassins from Quebec, I'm not joking; sex, drugs, their consequences for different people at different points in their lives; its genuinely funny and sad; and about 300-400~ pages of footnotes that you must read during the course of the novel, which give a whole host of interesting plot and info dumps as well as clues to the mystery etc.
Holy **** this book has everything.
The thing that is most striking about this book is how emotional and beautiful it is despite being bat**** crazy. Its truly an artistic work and one of my favorite novels I have ever read.
The Bad: It has everything because it is so LONG. This book is LONG. Its one of the longest novels of all time released in a single book format.
Its worth it if you are into Post-Modern artsy-fartsy type stuff which pays off in the end, but I can't lie to you you must work for this novel. This novel expects, and demands you to work and pay attention, and so much so that it is practically cruel in its attempt to trick you as a reader. This book is not on your side. It involves acronyms, sentences several pages long that are still grammatically correct non-run-on sentences. It involves medical terminology, drug terminology, philosophy, physics, math, diagrams etc. The ending of the book leaves some people actually mad. You can read the entire book and miss everything about the plot if you are not paying attention. This is one of the best things, but its also one of the worst because you almost certainly will miss some things.
After reading this book I thought it was okay, and literally four weeks later out of the blue I remembered a tiny fact that changes the plot entirely and I realized I made a wrong conclusion and my mind was BLOWN at the implication.
This book is amazing, but its not doing you any favors. Its like a heavy workout, you feel really good after, but its not "fun" during. Some people attribute this books popularity to just how difficult its supposed to be, while its a hard read I disagree with any idea that its just infamous because of how weird it is. There is a great, unique novel here and its just playing by its own rules. Its not for everyone and that's okay.
>The Crying of Lot 49, By: Thomas Pynchon,
The Good: Fun, short read. Breakneck paced adventure which follows the events of a woman uncovering a conspiracy theory after she is left an estate from a deceased lover.
Fun characters. Funny in general. Its intriguing, vague and gives not much away ultimately, but its only 200~ pages and does not overstay its welcome.
Its just a refreshing read TBH.
The Bad: while its endearing, Pynchon's dialogue makes 0 ****ing sense. Characters respond to each other with seemingly unrelated thought, points, concerns. Other characters seem to understand this process while you as the reader do not. The whole thing feels like everyone might be on acid, or you as the reader might be missing like 40% of what is going on because the narrative is on acid. Its honestly hard to tell.
Its an odd feeling, not necessarily bad, but like my other reviews it might be off putting. For me it certainly added something to the tone of the book, however it was a little annoying because sometimes you had to re-read a page or two back because you missed what was actually happening and suddenly everyone is in a gunfight in another city when a page ago they were having tea on a patio.
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When I like a book, I will read it more than once. These are two I've read at least 5 times.
East of Eden,
by John Steinbeck
Part fiction, part biography of Steinbecks ancestors, it's a sprawling story of 2 families from the late 1800 to the end of WW1.
The good: I could strongly identify with 2 of the characters, but many of the personalities were developed to provide deep insight into the human condition.
I especially like the way Steinbeck could say so much about a person in so few words. For example, when Sam Hamilton came home late one night, the next morning his wife Liza had this to say. "... and maybe you can find it healthy to rove all night, but the Lord God will do what He sees fit about that." It was well known that Liza Hamilton and the Lord God held similar convictions on nearly every subject.
The bad: Timshel, the idea that we can choose our future, and the main theme of the novel, isn't as powerful as some of the minor concepts in the book.
That Hideous Strength
by C.S. Lewis
Lewis calls it a fairy tale for grownups. Following the separate lives of a married couple, we discover insights about what some of man's deepest motivations are and how others can use those desires to manipulate people to their own advantage.
The good: A fleshing out of the themes in 2 of Lewis's essays, The Abolition of Man and The Inner Ring. It puts the deep concepts of The Abolition of Man into digestible tidbits. I found the themes of the book to be a natural outpouring of Lewis's own philosophy and not a deliberate attempt at instructing and moralizing. A book with Christian influence but definitely not a Christian book.
The bad: Lewis's characterization in this book is at times dry and introspective, I like it but some may not.
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5 more books that are fascinating and different, easy quick reads, but hard to "classify" are:
"Sounding" by Hank Searls
"Replay" by Ken Grimwood
"In the Land of Nyx" by John Bowers
"Adrift" by Steven Callahan
"1632" by Eric Flint