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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Nov 8, 2022 8:51:38 GMT
My superficial impression was that the premise was interesting, but perhaps a bit silly (as you say) and reading other peoples' opinions, the execution doesn't seem to be great. I eventually excluded it from my list of Sci-Fi and Fantasy to read.
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Dec 13, 2022 20:39:11 GMT
Small Gods - Terry Pratchett
No, this the best Discworld book I've read so far. Almost had a little tear at the end.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2022 22:00:51 GMT
Small Gods - Terry Pratchett No, this the best Discworld book I've read so far. Almost had a little tear at the end. That, along with a couple of his other books genuinely shaped me and my views. I am so glad I read him and Iain Banks in my formative years.
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Post by drhickman1983 on Dec 17, 2022 10:42:07 GMT
Terry Pratchett - Sourcery It's the fifth Discworld novel. Pterry himself had described it as his least favourite Discworld novel, as he wrote it out of a feeling of pressure to do another Rincewind novel. I hadn't read it for quite a long time though, so thought I'd revisit it. Compared to Equal Rites or Mort, which were quite character driven, this does for more spectacle driven - if this was a film it'd have Bruckheimer levels of special effects at times. The plotting does kind of fall apart slightly towards the end as the spectacle ramps up, but there's still a lot to enjoy. Although Rincewind is a fairly simplistic character in some ways, I've always thought there was some real nuances to him. Yes he's a coward, who favours running away, and he's totally inept as a wizard, but at the climax he finds the inner courage to go up against an immensely powerful sourcerer, armed with only a half-brick in a sock.
When he realises the sourcerer is just a child being manipulated and controlled by an abusive parent's soul inhabiting his staff, he doesn't hesitate to help the child. When his intervention inadverntantly results in him and the child being cast into the Eldritch dungeon dimension, he purposely makes himself a distraction so the child-sourcerer can escape.
So Rincewind is a coward, but one who, against his own nature, will try to do the right thing. He's not as complex as Vimes or Weatherwax but there's a bit more to him than just somebody who runs away.
Anway, overall Sourcery is not one of the better Discworld novels, but it's still very enjoyable.
7/10
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2022 10:52:05 GMT
I'm almost to the end of the first Dark Tower book. Jesus Christ I don't think I've ever struggled to get through a book so much in all my life. What a meandering, aimless over written pile of wank. I've forced myself through it as I know it's supposed to get a lot better after the first but I actually don't know if I can read any more of this shit.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Dec 17, 2022 11:05:06 GMT
The first Dark Tower book is... different, like a weird first draft for stuff to come.
Fwiw, I think the second book is the best in the series. But if you hated The Gunslinger that much I don't know whether I'd recommend you continue.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2022 11:06:27 GMT
There's a few bits I liked, the stuff in the town at the start was good. Probably enough to keep me pushing through.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Dec 17, 2022 13:58:01 GMT
As a fan of westerns, I liked the stuff at the town too. But the series is pretty weird throughout.
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mikeck
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Post by mikeck on Dec 17, 2022 14:51:20 GMT
I'm almost to the end of the first Dark Tower book. Jesus Christ I don't think I've ever struggled to get through a book so much in all my life. What a meandering, aimless over written pile of wank. I've forced myself through it as I know it's supposed to get a lot better after the first but I actually don't know if I can read any more of this shit. I knew the first book was published decades ago, but didn't realise it was as far back as '82. That alone explains the difference in writing style etc. He smashed through the remaining books after his car accident and I'm glad he did, but there are some questionable choices made. I am a big fan of the final book ending, it has stayed with me in a way many book endings haven't. The Gunslinger is definitely the weakest book, but as the series goes on it introduces some great characters and I genuinely love the main characters that Roland gathers (I think Drawing of the Three is my favourite of the books in fact). As you can probably tell I am a big fan of the series even though it has dips. Also, there is a cracking series of graphic novels that acts as a companion of sorts (as well as covering some of the events within the novels) which I highly recommend (and the artwork is exceptional).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 6:14:21 GMT
Finished it last night, really enjoyed the last few chapters where it basically turns into a drug fuelled pondering of the nature of reality. Does it keep going with that stuff in the later books?
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Dec 20, 2022 7:23:48 GMT
Finished it last night, really enjoyed the last few chapters where it basically turns into a drug fuelled pondering of the nature of reality. Does it keep going with that stuff on the later books? King did eventually stop taking the cocaine, so there's probably not as much of that specific kind of weirdness in later books. But they still get pretty crazy.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Dec 20, 2022 7:52:01 GMT
Blaine the Mono. Nuff said.
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Dec 20, 2022 8:00:59 GMT
I’ve finally made a decent inroad into Wizard and Glass and I have to say I’m loving it. It’s basically a western, and it’s great so far.
The Waste Lands I actually enjoyed more the second time, even the Blaine stuff. In fact I thought the first half of that book was the weakest.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 8:33:46 GMT
Going to have a break before reading the next one. Someone mentioned sci-fi horrors the other day which put me in the mood for one. Started Ship of Fools/Unto Leviathan last night, anyone read it?
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Dec 20, 2022 9:10:08 GMT
Going to have a break before reading the next one. Someone mentioned sci-fi horrors the other day which put me in the mood for one. Started Ship of Fools/Unto Leviathan last night, anyone read it? I personally found The Drawing of the Three quite a slog, so definitely wait until you're in the mood. It does have some great moments though and overall it's worth it but it can be very tedious at times. Not heard of them but looked them up, quite intruiged. Is there a kindle version of Ship of Fools? I only saw the paperback.
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Dec 20, 2022 9:12:10 GMT
As an aside, whilst I'm reading Wizard and Glass, I'm also listening to the audiobook of Fairy Tale (not simultaneously, that would get very confusing). Bloody hell. If I was reading it I would have given up. Talk about a slow opening. Thannkfully after 5 or so hours things are finally starting to happen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 9:29:47 GMT
It was rereleased as Unto Leviathan which is what they have on kindle.
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mikeck
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Post by mikeck on Dec 20, 2022 10:33:23 GMT
I’ve finally made a decent inroad into Wizard and Glass and I have to say I’m loving it. It’s basically a western, and it’s great so far. The Waste Lands I actually enjoyed more the second time, even the Blaine stuff. In fact I thought the first half of that book was the weakest. Wizard and Glass seems to get a bit of stick but I absolutely love the backstory it covers. Brilliant book.
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Dec 20, 2022 10:44:17 GMT
It was rereleased as Unto Leviathan which is what they have on kindle. Think I'll grab it for after W&G before I start the next one.
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Dec 20, 2022 10:45:40 GMT
mikeck It starts a bit weird (well, the flashback bit, which only starts about 120 pages in to the book) with the protracted "witch" scene that does it no favours at all, but once Roland, Cuthbert and Alain appear it seems to get going nicely. Really enjoying it.
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Dec 20, 2022 11:03:41 GMT
Tangenitally related and whilst not a space set sci-fi horror, it kind of comes close. The Deep by Nick Cutter. The difference being it's set at the bottom of the ocean rather than space. I read it after playing Soma years ago as wanted to scratch that itch and it's not too bad iirc. Only reminded of it now as it looks like it's getting made into a TV thing: bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3744322/the-deep-amazon-making-a-series-out-of-underwater-horror-novel-that-scared-stephen-king/Then again if you want underwater horror then Sphere by Michael Crichton is fucking amazing and better than The Deep. Still, it's worth a read (I think, unless I'm remembering wrong and it's actually shit).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2022 11:22:03 GMT
Yeah I went through a Michael Crichton phase at some point and read Sphere, enjoyed it a lot.
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mrharvest
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Post by mrharvest on Dec 21, 2022 9:17:51 GMT
I got into a bit of a gaming slump and started reading some casual scifi series I've read before just for entertainment. I usually /never/ re-read books, even books I've really loved, so it's very uncharacteristic of me. Anyway, here's my last three:
The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files 1) - Charles Stross. Magic is real but it's really just an application of mathematics. The wrong kind of a fractal can open a gateway between this world and horrors from elsewhere, and there's a government agency that's trying to stop Cthulhu from invading Britain. It's silly fun. I'd give it 7 undead bureaucrats out of 10.
All Systems Red (Murderbot 1) - Martha Wells. A security android has hacked its governor module so it doesn't have to take bad instructions from humans. It would much rather just sit in its cubby and watch entertainment media. I think this series does a lot of things right. "I love murderbot." 9 comfort units out of 10.
Trading in Danger (Vatta's War 1) - Elizabeth Moon. A young daughter of a space shipping empire gets kicked out of space navy and joins the family business. It's a really interesting concept: a lot of it is them figuring out trade margins and maximising space on their old freighter, until shit hits the fan. It's basically if you play a freighter in Privateer. I'd love to read more books with a similar mundane approach to scifi. I'd rate this at 6 crates of farming equipment out of 10.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Dec 21, 2022 15:06:55 GMT
I have Murderbot 1. I must get around to reading it.
I keep seeing books by Elizabeth Moon around and meaning to try them, though a lot of them seem to be part of looong series. I listened to Remnant Population by her because it was free on Audible, and it was a nice low action sci-fi story about a grumpy old lady who is left behind when a colony leaves.
Escape up 40 floors:
Along similar lines, I listened to Along the Razor's Edge (The War Eternal 1) purely because it was free on Audible and because it was narrated by Moira Quirk who is awesome and narrates the Gideon the Ninth series. It's a pretty YA story about a powerful young mage whose side loses the war so she's stripped of her powers and put into a massive underground Bane-style prison. The sassy main protagonist and the same narrator means it almost feels like a prequel about young Gideon at times... but it's missing much of the humor and creativity that those novels have. It all feels a bit predictable, and the protagonist does seem very highly plot armored. Enjoyable enough though. Might get more interesting in book 2 once she's out of the prison.
Escape down 40 floors:
Anyway, that put me in the mood to listen to Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower with the same narrator, but this time by Tamsyn Muir (Gideon the Ninth). Also because it was short. The whole thing of Princesses rescuing themselves has been a bit done to death in recent years, so I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it. But it's great. Doesn't always go where you'd expect. Quite funny in places. Ended too soon.
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chug666
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Post by chug666 on Dec 21, 2022 19:52:51 GMT
Came here to sing the praises of Equal Rites and its good to see plenty of Terry Pratchett appreciation taking place- great books!
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Post by deekyfun on Dec 21, 2022 20:03:22 GMT
Equal Rites was the first Pratchett I read, and remains one of my firm favourites in the series.
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mrharvest
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Post by mrharvest on Dec 23, 2022 10:00:15 GMT
I have Murderbot 1. I must get around to reading it. You really should read Murderbot. I think it's an amazing series with a very sympathetic protagonist. They're so fast paced too, very easy reads. It's in that category of scifi that's a bit unexpected, quite casual reading like John Scalzi (Redshirts, Old Man's War - both excellent, fun books).
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zephro
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Post by zephro on Dec 24, 2022 23:37:00 GMT
The Pursuit of Glory 1648-1815: quite good, too much royal bullshit The Pursuit of Power 1815-1914: Better, also quite good. Not as annoying in places.
After that I've got Christendom Destroyed 1517-1648 and To Hell and Back 1914-1945
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Dec 26, 2022 13:02:37 GMT
Unto Leviathan - Richard Russo Bought on the description Decks gave above as a sci-fi horror. It's a very easy read, and keeps moving forward at a good pace (except for a bit of a lull in the middle). More of a mystery than a horror though, and not one that has any answers. 7/10
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Dec 30, 2022 18:11:01 GMT
A Lush and Seething Hell - John Jacobs
Two beautifully written tales of cosmic horror, full of social and political commentary, poetry and folklore songs. It really should be a great book. Unfortunately I found the two stories themselves just a bit dull.
5/10
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