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May. 13th, 2013
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Book Foo mostly...
May. 13th, 2013 03:22 pmBeen a while since I posted one of these..
Finished: Queen of Candesce, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 2) (reread)
Already read and reviewed here but I'll cut and paste my Goodreads review (as I've done for pretty much all of these). ( Read more... )
I think it may be the weakest of the series, but it's still enjoyable and well worth reading.
Finished: To Challenge Chaos, by Brian Stableford
To Challenge Chaos tells the story of a world, Chaos X, which is half in our universe and half in another, a dimension where people can survive bodily death, and where one man has set up his own kingdom. Several travelers take the trip to this other dimension, each for their own reasons. Short version: mostly forgettable, but a few good qualities worthy of note.( Read more... )
Finished: Pirate Sun, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 3) (reread)
( Read more... )
Finished: The City and the City, by China Miéville
A police procedural set in two fictitious European cities with a bizarre relationship. They exist in the same spot, with some areas being entirely in one city, and others being entirely in another, and some shared... however, by an extreme cultural taboo that is also law, it is illegal to interact with, cross over to, or even give any attention to the neighboring city or anybody declared to be inside it, even if they're right in front of you, except through one designated border. But when a murder victim turns out, and evidence suggests they may have been killed in the other city, Inspector Tyador Borlu has find justice for the victim... even if that means a journey across the border.
It's a bit of a weird book, and hard to classify, ( Read more... )
A bit of an addendum to this review just for LJ... I could see Mieville being a good guest writer for Doctor Who, and in fact, in some alternate universe, this particular setting (maybe set on an alien planet) could have made a great one for a Doctor Who ep, with 'Breach' being the episode's bogeymen (which may not be all bad). But yeah, I think he might have the right kind of creative mind to both do a good story and introduce some truly weird novel concepts.
Finished: Bios, by Robert Charles Wilson
Short version: Meh.
( Read more... )
Finished: The Sunless Countries, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 4) (reread)
( Read more... )
Finished: Time Spike, by Eric Flint and Marilyn Kosmatka
A mysterious event catapults an Illinois prison back to the age of the dinosaurs... along with scattered groups of others in the area throughout history. With no idea how they got there and no way back, the group must survive all the dangers both outside of the prison... and within.
This is part of a specific subgenre of SF... I'm not even sure if it has a name. I go back and forth between calling them Cut-and-Paste Settings and Patchwork Fiction... the idea is that some large area is taken out of its normal setting and then pasted onto another, like you were patching a pair of jeans, usually a different time but it could just as easily be another world or dimension. Sometimes multiple patches are taken from multiple places. Usually the displaced area constitutes a particular community of people, maybe a particular military group or a small town, or, in this case, a prison full of dangerous criminals. Usually the how is unimportant: the story is all about what happens next, suddenly cut off from the world they know and interacting in a new one. Short version: Mildly enjoyable as a brainless adventure, but too simplistic to be called 'good'.
( Read more... )
Finished: Ashes of Candesce, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 5 (conclusion))
Leal Maspeth returns to Virga carrying a message, an offer of alliance against the forces that have been trying to infiltrate and destroy her home. But that assumes that it's not merely another trick by those same forces, as the alliance against her is claiming the same thing. Ultimately, Leal and many of the heroes of earlier in the series must make their choices and take their stands to decide the fate of Virga.
This book is intended as a conclusion to the entire series, so it has a lot to live up to. I think it does a pretty good job, ( Read more... )
Started: The Living Dead, (short story collection)
Started: A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Okay, now that's done...
Outside of books... well, enjoying Game of Thrones. Doctor Who... not so much, it's been a little bland. Even Gaiman's episode fell pretty flat (although it's pretty clear a lot was cut out... maybe they should have just made it a two-parter, heaven knows we have a lot of useless we could have cut this year!) I really think there needs to be a change in the showrunners, just for new blood's sake. And if not...
I think they need to change how they do things. For one, stop with the big mysteries. They never really live up to the hype, and, lately, they're getting in the way of the stories themselves. Just have great adventures... no huge foreshadowing, either... great adventures and a great finale that doesn't just answer the question "What's the big deal with all that foreshadowing?" but where something big and dramatic actually happens. And companions that are interesting for their own merits (maybe being from another time or planet) rather than trying to make them interesting because they're a "mystery".
Because, there are two big mysteries teased this season. The mystery of Clara, and the Doctor's Name. And the truth is, I don't really care about either of them. Clara, okay, slightly, but I bet it'll be overcomplicated and not make much sense. The Doctor's name... should just have been left alone. If you'd just dropped it in, in one episode as a surprise revelation, okay, that'd be one thing, but to constantly tease it and make the "Doctor Who?" joke and make a whole religion devoted to the question not being answered and foreshadowing a point where it will be... there's no way you can live up to that and make it anything worthwhile. Either it's something silly to take the piss and make the whole exercise into a little bit of a joke, it's a name that means nothing to us and it feels self-important and indulgent to make such a big deal with it, or it's some kind of name with meaning (Rassilion or something connected to him) that needlessly complicates his story. Or they drag back that "Half Human" thing again and reveal that his name actually is I.M. Foreman, not a Time Lord name at all. None of them sound appealing to me, and they should have realized that in advance.
Oh, and apparently the BBC screwed up and shipped out the dvd sets of the last half of this season early... INCLUDING the finale. So some random people have already seen it. I know nothing about it so far, but if you're especially spoilerphobic you might want to avoid looking at stuff for a while. Or you might find out too early that Clara is made of chocolate.
Networks have announced some of their new shows... Agents of SHIELD is the only 'must watch', although there's a "android/human buddy cop" series called Almost Human that might be worth a look (I just wish it wasn't by JJ Abrahms), and a couple others that I'll at least check out the first episode for.
Finished: Queen of Candesce, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 2) (reread)
Already read and reviewed here but I'll cut and paste my Goodreads review (as I've done for pretty much all of these). ( Read more... )
I think it may be the weakest of the series, but it's still enjoyable and well worth reading.
Finished: To Challenge Chaos, by Brian Stableford
To Challenge Chaos tells the story of a world, Chaos X, which is half in our universe and half in another, a dimension where people can survive bodily death, and where one man has set up his own kingdom. Several travelers take the trip to this other dimension, each for their own reasons. Short version: mostly forgettable, but a few good qualities worthy of note.( Read more... )
Finished: Pirate Sun, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 3) (reread)
( Read more... )
Finished: The City and the City, by China Miéville
A police procedural set in two fictitious European cities with a bizarre relationship. They exist in the same spot, with some areas being entirely in one city, and others being entirely in another, and some shared... however, by an extreme cultural taboo that is also law, it is illegal to interact with, cross over to, or even give any attention to the neighboring city or anybody declared to be inside it, even if they're right in front of you, except through one designated border. But when a murder victim turns out, and evidence suggests they may have been killed in the other city, Inspector Tyador Borlu has find justice for the victim... even if that means a journey across the border.
It's a bit of a weird book, and hard to classify, ( Read more... )
A bit of an addendum to this review just for LJ... I could see Mieville being a good guest writer for Doctor Who, and in fact, in some alternate universe, this particular setting (maybe set on an alien planet) could have made a great one for a Doctor Who ep, with 'Breach' being the episode's bogeymen (which may not be all bad). But yeah, I think he might have the right kind of creative mind to both do a good story and introduce some truly weird novel concepts.
Finished: Bios, by Robert Charles Wilson
Short version: Meh.
( Read more... )
Finished: The Sunless Countries, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 4) (reread)
( Read more... )
Finished: Time Spike, by Eric Flint and Marilyn Kosmatka
A mysterious event catapults an Illinois prison back to the age of the dinosaurs... along with scattered groups of others in the area throughout history. With no idea how they got there and no way back, the group must survive all the dangers both outside of the prison... and within.
This is part of a specific subgenre of SF... I'm not even sure if it has a name. I go back and forth between calling them Cut-and-Paste Settings and Patchwork Fiction... the idea is that some large area is taken out of its normal setting and then pasted onto another, like you were patching a pair of jeans, usually a different time but it could just as easily be another world or dimension. Sometimes multiple patches are taken from multiple places. Usually the displaced area constitutes a particular community of people, maybe a particular military group or a small town, or, in this case, a prison full of dangerous criminals. Usually the how is unimportant: the story is all about what happens next, suddenly cut off from the world they know and interacting in a new one. Short version: Mildly enjoyable as a brainless adventure, but too simplistic to be called 'good'.
( Read more... )
Finished: Ashes of Candesce, by Karl Schroeder (Virga, book 5 (conclusion))
Leal Maspeth returns to Virga carrying a message, an offer of alliance against the forces that have been trying to infiltrate and destroy her home. But that assumes that it's not merely another trick by those same forces, as the alliance against her is claiming the same thing. Ultimately, Leal and many of the heroes of earlier in the series must make their choices and take their stands to decide the fate of Virga.
This book is intended as a conclusion to the entire series, so it has a lot to live up to. I think it does a pretty good job, ( Read more... )
Started: The Living Dead, (short story collection)
Started: A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Okay, now that's done...
Outside of books... well, enjoying Game of Thrones. Doctor Who... not so much, it's been a little bland. Even Gaiman's episode fell pretty flat (although it's pretty clear a lot was cut out... maybe they should have just made it a two-parter, heaven knows we have a lot of useless we could have cut this year!) I really think there needs to be a change in the showrunners, just for new blood's sake. And if not...
I think they need to change how they do things. For one, stop with the big mysteries. They never really live up to the hype, and, lately, they're getting in the way of the stories themselves. Just have great adventures... no huge foreshadowing, either... great adventures and a great finale that doesn't just answer the question "What's the big deal with all that foreshadowing?" but where something big and dramatic actually happens. And companions that are interesting for their own merits (maybe being from another time or planet) rather than trying to make them interesting because they're a "mystery".
Because, there are two big mysteries teased this season. The mystery of Clara, and the Doctor's Name. And the truth is, I don't really care about either of them. Clara, okay, slightly, but I bet it'll be overcomplicated and not make much sense. The Doctor's name... should just have been left alone. If you'd just dropped it in, in one episode as a surprise revelation, okay, that'd be one thing, but to constantly tease it and make the "Doctor Who?" joke and make a whole religion devoted to the question not being answered and foreshadowing a point where it will be... there's no way you can live up to that and make it anything worthwhile. Either it's something silly to take the piss and make the whole exercise into a little bit of a joke, it's a name that means nothing to us and it feels self-important and indulgent to make such a big deal with it, or it's some kind of name with meaning (Rassilion or something connected to him) that needlessly complicates his story. Or they drag back that "Half Human" thing again and reveal that his name actually is I.M. Foreman, not a Time Lord name at all. None of them sound appealing to me, and they should have realized that in advance.
Oh, and apparently the BBC screwed up and shipped out the dvd sets of the last half of this season early... INCLUDING the finale. So some random people have already seen it. I know nothing about it so far, but if you're especially spoilerphobic you might want to avoid looking at stuff for a while. Or you might find out too early that Clara is made of chocolate.
Networks have announced some of their new shows... Agents of SHIELD is the only 'must watch', although there's a "android/human buddy cop" series called Almost Human that might be worth a look (I just wish it wasn't by JJ Abrahms), and a couple others that I'll at least check out the first episode for.