No Comic Day, but Book Foo!
Jul. 25th, 2007 06:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
newnumber6No comics today, because I didn't have anything I wanted to get
Work was okay, but unfortunately wasn't earlier like I hoped it might be (even if I never mentioned that hope). Didn't really have lunch.
But, in the past couple days I finished my two current books, so it's time for BOOK FOO!
Finished: The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton (last part of the Night's Dawn Trilogy).
Thoughts behind the cut, implied spoilers but nothing too detailed. In brief: mildly enjoyed.
Okay, like the series as a whole, I mildly enjoyed it. The action was interesting, and although I didn't specifically get attached to most of the characters, I enjoyed most of the different locations.
I do have a bit of a problem with the ending, which felt a little too deus ex machina to me. I suppose to wrap up everything in a satisfactory way would have taken another volume, but still it all seemed to happen too quickly, almost as though the writer said 'okay, I'm bored of this now, time to close up' (although the plot thread that did it was part of the whole series so it clearly was set up), and in particular, some of the way it was done, from an in story perspective (that is, the decisions made) didn't sit well with me. So, yeah, it was a bit disappointing.
Talking a little more about the series as a whole, I'm pleased they didn't go with the specific religion route, and the whole idea of souls and such was explained in a 'natural' way, which I like in my SF if they must exist at all, although I still find some of the abilities and restrictions of the characters felt a bit too artificial. Rather than flowing naturally from some central premise, it felt like the author added certain things solely because it would make the villains more dangerous or, conversely, so that they didn't have everything they want, but it felt a little hollow and so took me out.
Still, overall I enjoyed it and, although I'm not keen to read it again anytime soon, I'm glad I read it.
Finished: Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson (Hugo award winner)
Not really any spoilers behind cut except for basic concept. Also some rambling thoughts on time dilation. In brief: Quite enjoyed it.
Okay, so, really dug the book. I might even put it as my favorite book I've read this year. The book is about time, which is often a topic that interests me in a book.
In this case, it takes the familiar (and also one of my favorite) concepts of time dilation and turns it on its head in a new way. Instead of people on a spaceship not experiencing time passing because they're going close to the speed of light, but Earth back home and the universe in a general changing dramatically, in this case it is the whole Earth itself that has gone into slow time, while the rest of the solar system (and universe beyond)'s life is seemingly accelerated.
Now, I love time dilation type stories, large scale, small scale, I just love the idea of playing with time itself, in ways beyond the simple 'travelling through it' (though that's fun too... accelerating it, slowing it down, maybe even reversing it, over small (compared to the universe as a whole) always appeals to me, and it's something I tend to work into stories regularly in some way or another, either as the focus or a background element of 'sufficiently advanced technology' (actually, playing with space is another thing that has that effect on me). I think part of it is the deep desire to see 'somewhere else', 'sometime else'. The universe is just too big and too old, and there's so much to see, so the idea of being able to live through the life and death of a star, without actually having to live thousands of years, tugs at my sensawunda. So, naturally this new twist appealed to me as well, and Wilson handles it very well, evoking both the awe and wonder of the universe, the dangers such an event would have, and the possible opportunities for types of experiments simply impossible on a normal timescale.
But, though there are big ideas, this is not just a big idea book. The book is about time... not just what it does to the universe, but what it does to civilizations, and what it does to individual people and relationships. Putting them all side by side in a way that allows the narrative to switch between them and look at all of them while telling one story. And, like the universe, there's the idea tendered, subtly, that there's too much to see in individual people too, that it's hard to see all there is in any one person much like it's difficult to see the whole life of a star. Despite the big ideas, it's very much a character book, watching the lives of three people particularly affected by the Spin in different ways (and to a lesser but still significant extent, the people connected to them).
This is something I think I need to work on in my own writing, the character work. I love the big ideas, and have them as much as anyone, but I need to work on my characters, making them relatable and realistic. I suspect it'll probably always be my weakest area, since I'm so withdrawn from humanity and sociality in general, I don't feel like I know how people would behave, and I'm always worried characters will come off as minor variations of me if they get detail at all, or that the character work won't flow seamlessly and will feel hamfisted in. I suspect that's why I've been hesitant to work in the long form - in short stories, it's more acceptable to have only limited character work, because you have to get on with telling the story (I still try to include some, of course, but it's less of a burden). But in a long form, the character work is vital. You really can't skimp out on it. Even if you've got the most balls out awesome idea ever, and your plotting is amazing, your story will, generally speaking, still be considered subpar if your characters come off flat. And I don't think I've ever got the hang of the balance required for a long form - it might be part of why I wind up abandoning them so often.
Anyway, back to the book itself. For the first time in the last few books I've read, and also compared to RCW's previous books (which had great ideas but didn't always satisfy), I didn't feel let down by the ending. Except for one small factor, that the author stole one of my ideas! And by stole, I mean independently came up with an idea similar to one I'd played with in my head but hadn't mentioned to anybody (at least before the publication of the book, though I've done so since). Still, that total thief! ;) In all seriousness, he did it in a different enough way that I'm not annoyed, and it was more of an idea I didn't expect to develop much, and would have been pleased to see as the focus of a book/story from someone else. Although in this case it was connected more to the ending, but the sequel (Axis, due out in September) might explore it more. I'll definitely be getting that one, though I'll probably wait for paperback.
Also fun was the repeated references to various bits and locations in Canada, even though the book is set mostly in the US (and another part of the world). The author's a Canadian, so it's not unexpected, but it's more than you'd find in a lot of other SF books not set there and stands out a bit in my mind.
Spin is probably my favorite of Robert Charles Wilsons work. And, now that I've read it, I'm down to 2 Hugo award winning novels I've not yet read: The Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold, and Cyteen by CJ Cherryh. Neither are ones I'm especially looking forward to (though I've liked Bujold's other work, PoS is more of a fantasy so I'm less eager to jump in than I would be with a SF, and the only other Cherryh I read, Downbelow Station, was a bit of a slog to read), and they're both so far hard to find in used bookstores, so it might take me a while to finish. I'll be really surprised if I complete this before the next Hugo Awards are announced next month (but there's a small chance that the winner of that will be a book I've already read)
Started: Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (reread)
and
Seeker by Jack McDevitt (probably, but subject to change since I technically haven't started yet).
Work was okay, but unfortunately wasn't earlier like I hoped it might be (even if I never mentioned that hope). Didn't really have lunch.
But, in the past couple days I finished my two current books, so it's time for BOOK FOO!
Finished: The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton (last part of the Night's Dawn Trilogy).
Thoughts behind the cut, implied spoilers but nothing too detailed. In brief: mildly enjoyed.
Okay, like the series as a whole, I mildly enjoyed it. The action was interesting, and although I didn't specifically get attached to most of the characters, I enjoyed most of the different locations.
I do have a bit of a problem with the ending, which felt a little too deus ex machina to me. I suppose to wrap up everything in a satisfactory way would have taken another volume, but still it all seemed to happen too quickly, almost as though the writer said 'okay, I'm bored of this now, time to close up' (although the plot thread that did it was part of the whole series so it clearly was set up), and in particular, some of the way it was done, from an in story perspective (that is, the decisions made) didn't sit well with me. So, yeah, it was a bit disappointing.
Talking a little more about the series as a whole, I'm pleased they didn't go with the specific religion route, and the whole idea of souls and such was explained in a 'natural' way, which I like in my SF if they must exist at all, although I still find some of the abilities and restrictions of the characters felt a bit too artificial. Rather than flowing naturally from some central premise, it felt like the author added certain things solely because it would make the villains more dangerous or, conversely, so that they didn't have everything they want, but it felt a little hollow and so took me out.
Still, overall I enjoyed it and, although I'm not keen to read it again anytime soon, I'm glad I read it.
Finished: Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson (Hugo award winner)
Not really any spoilers behind cut except for basic concept. Also some rambling thoughts on time dilation. In brief: Quite enjoyed it.
Okay, so, really dug the book. I might even put it as my favorite book I've read this year. The book is about time, which is often a topic that interests me in a book.
In this case, it takes the familiar (and also one of my favorite) concepts of time dilation and turns it on its head in a new way. Instead of people on a spaceship not experiencing time passing because they're going close to the speed of light, but Earth back home and the universe in a general changing dramatically, in this case it is the whole Earth itself that has gone into slow time, while the rest of the solar system (and universe beyond)'s life is seemingly accelerated.
Now, I love time dilation type stories, large scale, small scale, I just love the idea of playing with time itself, in ways beyond the simple 'travelling through it' (though that's fun too... accelerating it, slowing it down, maybe even reversing it, over small (compared to the universe as a whole) always appeals to me, and it's something I tend to work into stories regularly in some way or another, either as the focus or a background element of 'sufficiently advanced technology' (actually, playing with space is another thing that has that effect on me). I think part of it is the deep desire to see 'somewhere else', 'sometime else'. The universe is just too big and too old, and there's so much to see, so the idea of being able to live through the life and death of a star, without actually having to live thousands of years, tugs at my sensawunda. So, naturally this new twist appealed to me as well, and Wilson handles it very well, evoking both the awe and wonder of the universe, the dangers such an event would have, and the possible opportunities for types of experiments simply impossible on a normal timescale.
But, though there are big ideas, this is not just a big idea book. The book is about time... not just what it does to the universe, but what it does to civilizations, and what it does to individual people and relationships. Putting them all side by side in a way that allows the narrative to switch between them and look at all of them while telling one story. And, like the universe, there's the idea tendered, subtly, that there's too much to see in individual people too, that it's hard to see all there is in any one person much like it's difficult to see the whole life of a star. Despite the big ideas, it's very much a character book, watching the lives of three people particularly affected by the Spin in different ways (and to a lesser but still significant extent, the people connected to them).
This is something I think I need to work on in my own writing, the character work. I love the big ideas, and have them as much as anyone, but I need to work on my characters, making them relatable and realistic. I suspect it'll probably always be my weakest area, since I'm so withdrawn from humanity and sociality in general, I don't feel like I know how people would behave, and I'm always worried characters will come off as minor variations of me if they get detail at all, or that the character work won't flow seamlessly and will feel hamfisted in. I suspect that's why I've been hesitant to work in the long form - in short stories, it's more acceptable to have only limited character work, because you have to get on with telling the story (I still try to include some, of course, but it's less of a burden). But in a long form, the character work is vital. You really can't skimp out on it. Even if you've got the most balls out awesome idea ever, and your plotting is amazing, your story will, generally speaking, still be considered subpar if your characters come off flat. And I don't think I've ever got the hang of the balance required for a long form - it might be part of why I wind up abandoning them so often.
Anyway, back to the book itself. For the first time in the last few books I've read, and also compared to RCW's previous books (which had great ideas but didn't always satisfy), I didn't feel let down by the ending. Except for one small factor, that the author stole one of my ideas! And by stole, I mean independently came up with an idea similar to one I'd played with in my head but hadn't mentioned to anybody (at least before the publication of the book, though I've done so since). Still, that total thief! ;) In all seriousness, he did it in a different enough way that I'm not annoyed, and it was more of an idea I didn't expect to develop much, and would have been pleased to see as the focus of a book/story from someone else. Although in this case it was connected more to the ending, but the sequel (Axis, due out in September) might explore it more. I'll definitely be getting that one, though I'll probably wait for paperback.
Also fun was the repeated references to various bits and locations in Canada, even though the book is set mostly in the US (and another part of the world). The author's a Canadian, so it's not unexpected, but it's more than you'd find in a lot of other SF books not set there and stands out a bit in my mind.
Spin is probably my favorite of Robert Charles Wilsons work. And, now that I've read it, I'm down to 2 Hugo award winning novels I've not yet read: The Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold, and Cyteen by CJ Cherryh. Neither are ones I'm especially looking forward to (though I've liked Bujold's other work, PoS is more of a fantasy so I'm less eager to jump in than I would be with a SF, and the only other Cherryh I read, Downbelow Station, was a bit of a slog to read), and they're both so far hard to find in used bookstores, so it might take me a while to finish. I'll be really surprised if I complete this before the next Hugo Awards are announced next month (but there's a small chance that the winner of that will be a book I've already read)
Started: Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (reread)
and
Seeker by Jack McDevitt (probably, but subject to change since I technically haven't started yet).
