Science Fiction

[mudy]

Has anyone mentioned the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer? Alex Garland is casting the film at the moment - they are a very unusual set of books; totally open to the individual's interpretation. Not an easy read by any means but a must I'd say; mainly for the experience itself and the emotions the prose invokes within the reader.

[Guvernator]

Warmfuzzies said:

Halfway through Iain banks Inversions; but it just doesn't jell, I simply find it hard work, it plods, it's lethargic and I must be missing something: so convince me to pick it up again......

Have to agree, I finished it....just. It's just not very interesting, not a lot happens and for a book which is allegedly set in the Culture, it's too low key. I wouldn't really even classify it as SF, most of the book isn't and what there is, is pretty vague.

[jimmyjimjim]

Tonsko said:

Been reading a self published series recently by Chris Nuttall, 'Ark Royal (1-3). Actually quite enjoyable - more 'Lost Fleet' than '2001', but slightly more depth to the characters than you may find in Lost Fleet. First one is quite cheap, check it out.

Seconded, surprisingly good.

[plasticpig]

Just finished Renegade by Joel Sheppard which is well worth a read if you like military space opera. Its interesting that as a published author he has chosen to go down the self publishing route.

[irocfan]

jimmyjimjim said:

Tonsko said:

Been reading a self published series recently by Chris Nuttall, 'Ark Royal (1-3). Actually quite enjoyable - more 'Lost Fleet' than '2001', but slightly more depth to the characters than you may find in Lost Fleet. First one is quite cheap, check it out.

Seconded, surprisingly good.

And another


In the same vein "The Black Fleet" trilogy (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24292492-warship)

[jmorgan]

Mr Hamiltons sequel is out? Night Without Stars

Awaits the arrival on Audible.

[GrumpyTwig]

mudy said:

Has anyone mentioned the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer? Alex Garland is casting the film at the moment - they are a very unusual set of books; totally open to the individual's interpretation. Not an easy read by any means but a must I'd say; mainly for the experience itself and the emotions the prose invokes within the reader.

I just finished the second book yesterday, the first book I found to be a real page turner and finished it in 5 days the second has been a bit hard going tbh and took twice as long to finish.
It's one of those books that I don't really want to see in film, like you say there's a lot of scope for you to interpret what happens, more so than a lot of books. So any film is invariably going to be some individuals own interpretation, when the author hasn't gone into minute detail about every concept, object or location.

They've been easier going than Perdido Street Station that I had on the go before them though, great book, great story and good writing but you feel like you've been on the adventure and possibly get a bit more emotionally involved than is normal for a book.

[funkyrobot]

jmorgan said:

Mr Hamiltons sequel is out? Night Without Stars

Awaits the arrival on Audible.

22nd September.

Is the Abyss Beyond Dreams any good? I have read a lot of Hamilton's work, and his endings always seem to disappoint me. I read the Commonwealth Saga and the Void trilogy and thought they were ok, but not as good as the Night's Dawn trilogy.

I'm tempted by the Abyss. However, I'm not sure how a book between the other sets of books will work.

[jmorgan]

funkyrobot said:

Is the Abyss Beyond Dreams any good?

Yep, I thought so, I also have found his endings rather lame. But then he spins such a detailed yarn in between I think it makes up.

In the flip side, I found Nights Dawn a chore. Each to their own.

[funkyrobot]

jmorgan said:

Yep, I thought so, I also have found his endings rather lame. But then he spins such a detailed yarn in between I think it makes up.

In the flip side, I found Nights Dawn a chore. Each to their own.

Thanks. May take a look at this then.

Night's Dawn was a chore for me in places, but the storyline held me more than the void one. Interestingly, I think the story from within the void was good, but it really did flop at the end (personal opinion, of course).

I actually found Great North Road to be an ok book. Again though, and as with everything Hamilton, there seems to be a lot left in his stories that could be cut out.

[grumbledoak]

funkyrobot said:

Again though, and as with everything Hamilton, there seems to be a lot left in his stories that could be cut out.

His editor needs to grow a pair.

[RobDickinson]

Void trilogy ending was abysmal. such a shame for the story as a whole.

[funkyrobot]

grumbledoak said:

funkyrobot said:

Again though, and as with everything Hamilton, there seems to be a lot left in his stories that could be cut out.

His editor needs to grow a pair.

Indeed. Imagine if at least a third was cut from his books. I bet you wouldn't miss much of the story, and he would sell more.

For example, my friend likes Hamilton's ideas and stories, but won't read the books because they are too long.

One scene in the commonwealth saga was especially naff. The scene where Justine(?) glides down a rock face and what happens after. I found that to be a bit, weird. Also, while I am thinking about it, Hamilton's portrayal of women. Makes me laugh too.

[plasticpig]

funkyrobot said:

Indeed. Imagine if at least a third was cut from his books. I bet you wouldn't miss much of the story, and he would sell more.

For example, my friend likes Hamilton's ideas and stories, but won't read the books because they are too long.

One scene in the commonwealth saga was especially naff. The scene where Justine(?) glides down a rock face and what happens after. I found that to be a bit, weird. Also, while I am thinking about it, Hamilton's portrayal of women. Makes me laugh too.

The thing is US publishers and booksellers like big fat books because that's what american readers have come to expect. If you look at Hamilton's early Mindstar novels they are are only around a 1/3 of the length of his later works.

[jmorgan]

I like them

Except the endings are lame.

[funkyrobot]

jmorgan said:

I like them

Except the endings are lame.

Same here. Still think they are too long and the endings are terrible though.

[Baron Greenback]

I love them! The ending is the only way it could of ended I dont mind the length. The quicken the day I listen to the audio books also, 45hrs each makes days go alot quicker! Will keep an eye out for the new book, been on a non-reading mood for long time dont know why!

[grumbledoak]

funkyrobot said:

Same here. Still think they are too long and the endings are terrible though.

The MindStar books and the first two Commonwealth Saga are his best IMO. The others were full of great ideas but less than the sum of their parts.

[Halmyre]

funkyrobot said:

grumbledoak said:

funkyrobot said:

Again though, and as with everything Hamilton, there seems to be a lot left in his stories that could be cut out.

His editor needs to grow a pair.

Indeed. Imagine if at least a third was cut from his books. I bet you wouldn't miss much of the story, and he would sell more.

For example, my friend likes Hamilton's ideas and stories, but won't read the books because they are too long.

One scene in the commonwealth saga was especially naff. The scene where Justine(?) glides down a rock face and what happens after. I found that to be a bit, weird. Also, while I am thinking about it, Hamilton's portrayal of women. Makes me laugh too.

I've read one of his books, The Reality Dysfunction, but by the end of it I was just not interested in pursuing the rest of the trilogy. Out of curiosity I read the synopses on Wikipedia and they were long enough as it was.

Re his portrayal of women, he did seem to have quite a few scenes with teenage girls, which seemed a bit gratuitous.

[jmorgan]

Picked up on Renegade by Joel Shepherd on Audible whilst wasting a credit. Very good so far, plots and marines and spaceships doing scifyee. stuff in a good telling mode.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26031851-renega...