LeatherRebel5150 | 1,067 Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Been getting through more of this on vacation this week 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorScoutMandy | 782 Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Book maps are sexy. The Way of the Kings has many maps 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar! | 1,855 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 The Folio Society https://www.foliosociety.com/usa Released a beautifully illustrated edition of all of Philip K Dick's short stories! The edition is sold out, although I did manage to get a copy. This edition is beautiful, and actually was less expensive than previous editions which are far less attractive. Anyway, I was reading the first volume (4 total) and he certainly has some nice ideas... but WOW, I think he's a poor writer. Maybe his writing improves later (I think the volumes are in chronological order), but I have to say I am not impressed thus far. Still, not surprising he is a Hollywood favorite, since he is imaginative although his stories are simple and formulaic - rather reminds me of Stephen King. Anyway, getting a bit burned out on these lackluster stories of his... although the illustrations in this edition are fabulous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabonga | 2,390 Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Gonna start on this (the newest Shadowrun fiction) tonight: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aguy | 777 Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 Anyone want some Scalzi novels? $0 + media mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estil | 1,282 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 On 7/7/2021 at 1:31 PM, LeatherRebel5150 said: Been getting through more of this on vacation this week So if they can find the key, will it become Earth's Found Civilization? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,683 Editorials Team · Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 Finished the Lightbringer series. Kinda torn a bit on this one. I think at a high level it was a good conclusion, with a big epic battle that occupied at least 300+ pages in exciting fashion. Lots of arcs resolved, lots of loose ends tied up, lots of questions answered. But then some of the narrative choices... endless deus ex machina (including one literal "machina" *facepalm*), people being healed/resurrected all over the place, heavy-handed turn into religiony stuff, The Mighty turning into The (Teenage) Avengers, who easily roll through overwhelming opposition again and again and again. All laws of magic just thrown out the window. So, half of a 5/5 and half of a 1/5. So 3/5 is the rating I give it. It could have been so much more by going in one of many different directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,683 Editorials Team · Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 ...and one of the biggest bads shows up, is promptly defeated... and that's it. Like one page. Why bother in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar! | 1,855 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said: endless deus ex machina (including one literal "machina" *facepalm*), people being healed/resurrected all over the place, heavy-handed turn into religiony stuff, The Mighty turning into The (Teenage) Avengers, who easily roll through overwhelming opposition again and again and again. All laws of magic just thrown out the window. So, half of a 5/5 and half of a 1/5. So 3/5 is the rating I give it. Damn, sounds to me more like a 0.3/5 although I'm a harsh grader I really can't stand it when dead people are brought back to life - what's even the point? There are of course exceptions, such as in the Shadow of the Torturer series which is one of the best science fiction series ever written - in that case only a few people are brought back to life and it's NOT a deus ex machina... Anyway, thanks for the review, definitely not my cup of tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,683 Editorials Team · Posted July 21, 2021 Author Share Posted July 21, 2021 1 hour ago, avatar! said: Damn, sounds to me more like a 0.3/5 although I'm a harsh grader I really can't stand it when dead people are brought back to life - what's even the point? There are of course exceptions, such as in the Shadow of the Torturer series which is one of the best science fiction series ever written - in that case only a few people are brought back to life and it's NOT a deus ex machina... Anyway, thanks for the review, definitely not my cup of tea. Nah, it was a good book (particularly some of the character arcs), it just made some choices that aren't my favorite. It's like when people who say the last season of GoT was a 0.3/5. Riding their emotions all over the place when there's always lots of middle ground as to how we receive a piece of pop culture after we've attached our own expectations to it. Not saying you do that (I have no idea), but that is the general internet prerogative. But yeah. If it could have stuck the landing it would have been an easy 5/5. And two resurrections in the final 100 pages? Don't do me dirty like that book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aguy | 777 Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Read the first 2 books in the Skyward series from Brandon Sanderson. The next book should be out in November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabonga | 2,390 Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Just got this in the mail today - I will start it after I finish the cozy mystery I am in right now. https://www.amazon.com/Alamos-Forgotten-Defenders-Remarkable-Revolution/dp/1611211913/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=alamos+forgotten+defenders&qid=1627415381&sr=8-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,683 Editorials Team · Posted July 28, 2021 Author Share Posted July 28, 2021 Finally finished this. Great. Loved it. Totally reminded me of one of King's "New England town ensemble" stories like Salem's Lot or Needful Things or Under the Dome, which I'm always a fan of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,683 Editorials Team · Posted July 31, 2021 Author Share Posted July 31, 2021 Burned through this since it's so short. Very similar to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and very close to the movie adaptation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doner24 | 1,204 Moderator · Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said: Burned through this since it's so short. Very similar to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and very close to the movie adaptation. One of the few of his I haven’t read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Finally got some quiet time more or less cut off from the internet for the past few days to sit down and read. Finished Neuromancer (again), read through the novel that came with the original Elite game "The Dark Wheel," read through "The Djinn" (by Graham Masterson) (again), then picked up Gai-Jin by James Clavell where I'd left off (primarily due to not having any new/additional ebooks on my laptop that I had with me). Now that I'm home I may try to continue on with Gai-Jin, but it's so much less compelling than any of the other Clavell books that I went through last year (Tai-Pan, Noble House, and Shogun) that most likely I'll end up letting it just sit there until I end up in a situation again where I want to read and don't have anything else available, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabonga | 2,390 Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 I bought a copy of this for my neighbors sons (one in high school and one in college) - after talking with them it was very clear that their understanding of US history is sadly deficient. It covers everyday life in the US from roughly the end of the Civil War to the end of that century. Life just out and out sucked* (really really sucked) for pretty much everyone - even the wealthy didn't escape all of the misery - although they did have it a lot better in many aspects than the average person. One of my favorite history books. *For example, odd as it may seem, the traffic fatality rate was much higher than at any time after the widespread introduction of the automobile. Go figure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pendragonx | 117 Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 (edited) I just recently finished The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus Which was actually really dope -- if you're a fan of the original Goodkind run of The Sword Of Truth, then this is one hell of a treat Edited August 7, 2021 by Pendragonx spelling fails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,683 Editorials Team · Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 Finished both of these. Loved both of them. Now onto Malazan 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar! | 1,855 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 On 8/7/2021 at 5:07 PM, Tabonga said: I bought a copy of this for my neighbors sons (one in high school and one in college) - after talking with them it was very clear that their understanding of US history is sadly deficient. It covers everyday life in the US from roughly the end of the Civil War to the end of that century. Life just out and out sucked* (really really sucked) for pretty much everyone - even the wealthy didn't escape all of the misery - although they did have it a lot better in many aspects than the average person. One of my favorite history books. *For example, odd as it may seem, the traffic fatality rate was much higher than at any time after the widespread introduction of the automobile. Go figure! I will check it out! One of my favorite history books about day-to-day life in the USA is this classic Yeah, students in general have very skewed views of US history and often seem to lack basic knowledge... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar! | 1,855 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 3 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said: Finished both of these. Loved both of them. Now onto Malazan 2. Martian Chronicles is my favorite Bradbury book and really captures what I consider pulpy sci-fi of the 40s and 50s. Other Martian books I recommend are War of the Worlds (of course) and the Mars Trilogy - certainly at least read Red Mars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabonga | 2,390 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) 50 minutes ago, avatar! said: I will check it out! One of my favorite history books about day-to-day life in the USA is this classic Yeah, students in general have very skewed views of US history and often seem to lack basic knowledge... That book is really good also - the Bettmann one is more broad based - different approaches but that is perhaps expected since Riis was writing contemporaneously. Edited August 19, 2021 by Tabonga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabonga | 2,390 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 7:24 AM, SailorScoutMandy said: Book maps are sexy. The Way of the Kings has many maps You might like any of these: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar! | 1,855 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 2 hours ago, Tabonga said: That book is really good also - the Bettmann one is more broad based - different approaches but that is perhaps expected since Riis was writing contemporaneously. Does also make me wonder, how "good" was life in ancient Rome? Greece? Egypt? Was it "terrible" or "hard" or...? I know things depended on what class you were in etc. but I wonder if it was perhaps better than the 1700s and 1800s? I'm sure people have written about this, just a matter of finding the right book(s)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorScoutMandy | 782 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Finally finishing up this trilogy, I'm sorry cycle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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