Book Foo and a bit of bad news
Aug. 21st, 2008 12:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
newnumber6Great. Woke up this morning with no net. And since the network hub is in my roommates room, that means it can't get fixed until they wake up, which due to their work schedule is past noon. Bah. Anyway, I'm writing this offline and posting later. (Edit: Okay, it didn't last as long as I thought, they woke early I guess)
So, Book Foo:
Finished: Sun of Suns, by Karl Schroeder (Book One of Virga)
Started: Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds
Thoughts on SoS behind the cut. General concept spoilers only. Short version: liked it more than I expected to.
The novel is set in the world of Virga, which is just a mass of air about 3000 km across, contained in a think skin. It's lit by a central sun which doesn't penetrate the whole planet, and so there are lots of smaller suns different countries create for their own nations, which are usually built of wood and spun for artificial gravity. The main character seeks revenge for when his country was annexed by a (temporarily, since they're all in air and float) nearby one, and they tried to resist by building their own sun, a fleet was sent to stop them, resulting in the death of his parents.
It's also somewhat steampunk in nature, in that that seems to be the level of technology of the main characters. Lots of rocket and steam powered stuff, but no electronics, etc.
Now, I love steampunk as an aesthetic, but a lot of time it doesn't satisfy when I read it in a story. So I was a little worried going into it. Still, this one kept up. It's a bit lighter and more action-oriented than Schroeder's other works, but it's a fun setting and there were a couple of the same types of 'big ideas' he's explored in his other books, just explored more on the fringes. I do have to confess I was a little more interested in what was going on outside of Virga rather than the world itself. Still, it's enjoyable enough that I'll probably get more in the series.
Finished: Firestarter, by Stephen King (reread)
Started: A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Since Firestarter's a reread I won't go too long. Still enjoyed it. I think King's at his best when the 'threat' isn't supernatural. My favorite works of his are usually ones where there's some supernatural element or weird world setup (Long Walk/Running Man), but most of the danger driving the story is coming from just people. He usually seems to fall down on endings when the threat is supernatural, because he builds the horror up so big that any resolution's kind of a cheat.
Anyway, since I'm running low on new books I figured I'd do a reread, and AFUtD's been beckoning me for a while.
Oh, and in other news, looks like Stargate Atlantis is cancelled, but they'll be doing movies. Bit of a shame, but I never liked Atlantis as much as SG1 and if they're doing movies it's not that big a disappointment. And I assume that means they're going on with the third series. Hope that goes well.
So, Book Foo:
Finished: Sun of Suns, by Karl Schroeder (Book One of Virga)
Started: Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds
Thoughts on SoS behind the cut. General concept spoilers only. Short version: liked it more than I expected to.
The novel is set in the world of Virga, which is just a mass of air about 3000 km across, contained in a think skin. It's lit by a central sun which doesn't penetrate the whole planet, and so there are lots of smaller suns different countries create for their own nations, which are usually built of wood and spun for artificial gravity. The main character seeks revenge for when his country was annexed by a (temporarily, since they're all in air and float) nearby one, and they tried to resist by building their own sun, a fleet was sent to stop them, resulting in the death of his parents.
It's also somewhat steampunk in nature, in that that seems to be the level of technology of the main characters. Lots of rocket and steam powered stuff, but no electronics, etc.
Now, I love steampunk as an aesthetic, but a lot of time it doesn't satisfy when I read it in a story. So I was a little worried going into it. Still, this one kept up. It's a bit lighter and more action-oriented than Schroeder's other works, but it's a fun setting and there were a couple of the same types of 'big ideas' he's explored in his other books, just explored more on the fringes. I do have to confess I was a little more interested in what was going on outside of Virga rather than the world itself. Still, it's enjoyable enough that I'll probably get more in the series.
Finished: Firestarter, by Stephen King (reread)
Started: A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Since Firestarter's a reread I won't go too long. Still enjoyed it. I think King's at his best when the 'threat' isn't supernatural. My favorite works of his are usually ones where there's some supernatural element or weird world setup (Long Walk/Running Man), but most of the danger driving the story is coming from just people. He usually seems to fall down on endings when the threat is supernatural, because he builds the horror up so big that any resolution's kind of a cheat.
Anyway, since I'm running low on new books I figured I'd do a reread, and AFUtD's been beckoning me for a while.
Oh, and in other news, looks like Stargate Atlantis is cancelled, but they'll be doing movies. Bit of a shame, but I never liked Atlantis as much as SG1 and if they're doing movies it's not that big a disappointment. And I assume that means they're going on with the third series. Hope that goes well.
