I have finished Galactic North, and it has been a pleasure meeting Mr. Reynolds. I will be reading his Revelation Space. I am now looking through my shelves dithering what to pick next...
Great Wall of Mars and A Spy in Europa because of their sense of adventure and the descriptive nature of the different parties in the Revelation Space universe. And Galactic North because I could lose myself beyond the limits of time and the rigidity of logic.
I read Far-Seer last night. I really enjoyed the narrative working through the scientific evidence for a planetary system.
Safari Bob, aka Speedy Gonzales... Did you also read Annihilation? Following GR review system (1 to 5 stars) how many would you give to these books?
I have yet to read Annihilation but I should start it soon, although Ready Player One is supposed to arrive in the mail tonight. I would give Far-Seer 3.5 out of 5. This is simply my opinion, obviously, YMMV. However, they get a full 2 stars just for Dinosaurs--in space!
Galactic North is the most epic of chase stories! How much time passes during that chase? Something like 30 or 40 thousand years, right?
I started Ready Player One last night. As a person who started high school in 1981, I approve of the nostalgia trip.
Barrayar, Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm really enjoying Cordelia's internal dialogs: sharp, witty with enough cynicism without becoming tedious.
Yeah, that's the hard bit...doing cynicism right without becoming tedious. While I haven't read nearly enough by Bujold to make a solid observation, the first three Vorkosigan books I've read, though riddled with cynical moments throughout, seem ultimately to be life-affirming.
Armor has confused the hell outta me for a bit. After the amazing story with Felix, it has suddenly switched to a completely different story with a morally questionable character called Jack Crow. I even skipped forward to check whether it goes back to Felix and how long it'll take. But now I'm getting used to Crow, and starting to slowly enjoy Crow's story on its own. But I'm hoping the connection will come soon. The Felix part was some seriously awesome military sci-fi with really great characterization.
I needed something easy to read, so I've picked up The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. I read the first chapter last year but didn't continue. This time, I'm planning on finishing this massive book. It's been a long time since I've read any fantasy, and especially of the traditional epic variety.
I know I should like that book but I just can't. I have tried to read it a couple of times and just abandoned it.
I tried reading it during my teens, and couldn't get past the 100-150 page mark. I've been told by more than three people that this initial section is the hard bit to get through, and then it really takes off. I get what they mean...I say the same thing about Neal Stephenson's Anathem, which is one of my favourite contemporary SF works and which also needs the first 100 or so pages before it really takes off. So, I'm going to give the Tad Williams book a proper go this time.
I felt the same. Unfortunately for me the book never improved, and I think I ended up giving it a 2 star rating. It's a much loved book though so no doubt I'm in the minority. Again
