Reads sf/f and horror. Also, whatever wuxia I can find in English Apart from that I'm quite interested in philosophy and ancient history.
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@lucasrizoli I guess that was not the best choice of words. Let's say we both felt less engaged than we expected to, it sounds like.
Anyway. I've found Wolfe to be quite uneven. All his books are exceedingly well written, but some are just uninteresting to me. OTOH, I know I can just go back and read the great ones once again...
@sifuCJC I actually started reading this one wary of having to start a series. But, as I found it to be quite suspenseful without many useless "action scenes", the cliffhanger ending of the last chapter was such a cool payoff that I felt quite ok to end there!
@lucasrizoli I'm happy to hear that I wasn't the only one that bounced off this Wolfe book hard. It felt pointless after a while. Also, like you wrote, tasteless in more than a few places.
"Seven years ago Atagaris set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film …
Content warning Ending referred to
I liked how this novel worked with foreshadowing, always hinting about what nasty things were in store. It kept me reading, and always knew there was something even nastier lurking ahead.
It felt a lot like Aliens, with a small crew locked away in an isolated spot with monsters swarming all around, and a big bad momma waiting at the end.
It was a fun read. I'm not sure I will remember it long, but it was entertaining.
"Seven years ago Atagaris set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film …
This was a good monster movie, in book form. Quite a page turner.
@lucasrizoli that's a good idea with a reading group. I might steal that one.
@DerekCaelin I see. I found the film to be quite entertaining and weird. But if they are pretty different I guess I should read the book as well!
"Seven years ago Atagaris set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a "mockumentary" bringing to life …
@DerekCaelin have you seen the film? It's really weird, in a pretty good way. I'd love to hear how the book relates.
@lucasrizoli I guess you like it quite a bit, considering how many times you've read it. Last time I tried to re-read it, having loved it the first time, I found it less engaging than I expected.
What's the first impressions on this re-read? Is there something that stand out at once that reminds you why you like it so much?
As the drummer of the band, and as one of the members who has been with the band from the beginning to the end, you would think this would be the definitive telling of the story of Pink Floyd.
But, it's not very personal. You rarely get any details of how Nick felt, or any more details that make the story be told from the inside. Maybe the same reason they always had such troubles talking with each others about how they felt, is once more stopping Nick from becoming too personal.
What it does have is lot of funny stories about things happening on tour, on some of their creative processes and how they worked with different people for their shows.
Sometimes I did laugh, as Nick has a way to choose understated phrases and use some dry wit to good effect.
I guess we will have to go …
As the drummer of the band, and as one of the members who has been with the band from the beginning to the end, you would think this would be the definitive telling of the story of Pink Floyd.
But, it's not very personal. You rarely get any details of how Nick felt, or any more details that make the story be told from the inside. Maybe the same reason they always had such troubles talking with each others about how they felt, is once more stopping Nick from becoming too personal.
What it does have is lot of funny stories about things happening on tour, on some of their creative processes and how they worked with different people for their shows.
Sometimes I did laugh, as Nick has a way to choose understated phrases and use some dry wit to good effect.
I guess we will have to go to the music to find the emotions, and the personalities behind the story.
If nothing else, this has made me go back and listen to some fantastic music. I love Pink Floyd.
Worth reading, and sometimes funny. But, it was lacking some personality.
@mouse thanks! I am on a space opera feel right now, and trying to decide if this is the next one. Might be then.
@mouse have you read "A Memory Called Empire" by Arkady Martine? I've been curious about Tesh book and wonder how those two compare, as modern space opera novels.
Sometimes I see people who have been hooked by the board/miniatures-game asking for fiction recommendations, and I almost always manage to stay away from expressing my feelings about game fiction. I have read my fair share, and most of it is dreck! Some of it is more terrible than other, and a kerfuffle within the last 6 months saw a Battletech author of the more chauvinistic and unpleasant kind get dropped and it reminded me of the reasons some of these books are terrible literature.
I did pick up the first issue I read of Shrapnel because I knew one of the hosts of the podcast WolfNet Radio had been published in this series. I was curious about Charles' skill as a writer, as he came across as witty and informed on the podcast. It turns out he can indeed write decent enough!
The reason I've read more than that …
Sometimes I see people who have been hooked by the board/miniatures-game asking for fiction recommendations, and I almost always manage to stay away from expressing my feelings about game fiction. I have read my fair share, and most of it is dreck! Some of it is more terrible than other, and a kerfuffle within the last 6 months saw a Battletech author of the more chauvinistic and unpleasant kind get dropped and it reminded me of the reasons some of these books are terrible literature.
I did pick up the first issue I read of Shrapnel because I knew one of the hosts of the podcast WolfNet Radio had been published in this series. I was curious about Charles' skill as a writer, as he came across as witty and informed on the podcast. It turns out he can indeed write decent enough!
The reason I've read more than that first taste was that apart from Charles' work, there were some others that did stand out as more than half decent. It almost seems like the shorter format, with the discipline needed to utilize that form, might bring out more skilled writers. Also, maybe editor Philip A. Lee does a better screening job than the novel editors whose products I had tried before?
In any case I got hooked on a story by Tom Leveen, serialized in 4 parts, called Three Ways Home and ended up buying all the issues of Shrapnel it was published in. In the end I have not finished all those issues yet, but having finished off this volume I decided to put down my thoughts on the series.
This is a bona fide game magazine, with scenarios and source book style materials in addition to fiction. It's a rare beast these days, and I guess many read it as an ebook, and not the POD paperback I insist on. Still, I love they provide that option.
The scenario material is good, and the articles with in-world news and descriptions are useful and well written. The fiction, as I alluded to above, is pleasant enough to read. You have to love military sf with big stompy robots, but why would you even look at a magazine like this if you weren't? Some stories are funny, some are tense and the editor have managed to find writers who write stories with interesting plots and with the characters in focus. Sure, they are often a bit super human in their efforts, and the toil and suffering before the final victories can be slightly over the top, but still I found them engaging.
Will I keep buying more issues of Shrapnel? I wont be buying it regularly, but maybe if I see one of the writers that have impressed me on the cover, I will be tempted to get another fix.
