Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
Mezzanine said:
egor110 said:
Mezzanine said:
egor110 said:
Just finished Gordon corera's Russians amongst us and now onto army of none .
All about the future of war using autonomous weapons .
Both of these sound interesting, have added to my list All about the future of war using autonomous weapons .
Very good as it includes loads of interviews with the pilots and there families as to how it affects them .
Bear in mind they don't go away and serve for long periods they can be dropping the kids off , go to work, kill someone then back home for tea so no decompression time.
egor110 said:
Mezzanine said:
egor110 said:
Mezzanine said:
egor110 said:
Just finished Gordon corera's Russians amongst us and now onto army of none .
All about the future of war using autonomous weapons .
Both of these sound interesting, have added to my list All about the future of war using autonomous weapons .
Very good as it includes loads of interviews with the pilots and there families as to how it affects them .
Bear in mind they don't go away and serve for long periods they can be dropping the kids off , go to work, kill someone then back home for tea so no decompression time.
I searched for just ‘Reaper Force’ earlier and it threw up nothing!
I thought it was okay but dumbed down - there were a few places where his intelligence and wit shone through, the rest of the book you felt that an editor was telling him to make it suitable for a bigger market - it has sold very widely, but I won't be buying another book by him which is a shame as I like him on TV
Probably not that many editors telling their authors “the book is OK but could you make it a bit less sellable please, we don’t want too much of that old cash coming back in thank you”
I know what you mean though, it’s (successfully) written for a broad audience as he appeals to a broad audience as a personality.
He has got a multi-book contract and huge film rights out of it so mission accomplished.
I know what you mean though, it’s (successfully) written for a broad audience as he appeals to a broad audience as a personality.
He has got a multi-book contract and huge film rights out of it so mission accomplished.
I've just finished "True Faith and Allegiance" by Mark Greaney with Tom Clancy's characters. One about "The Campus", the agency that Jack Ryan's son works for. Someone steals some confidential data on US security personnel and sells it to ISIS. Another good book, I usually enjoy Tom Clancy stuff and the quality is still there despite TC not being around any more. I bought this when it came out (2017 I think) but I'd put it on one side for some reason.
oobie38 said:
Reading Mick Herron's new 'Slough House' at the moment, about halfway through.
A few years back i picked the first couple of the series up, and have enjoyed reading each one as they were published, but Herron's writing is starting to grate in this book- the plot is too thin, and the dialogue and descriptive writing haven't moved on for the last few books- the prose is refreshing when you first read it, but by book 7 the satire has lost it's bite and is a bit predictable.
Agree with this. It was a "chef's giant salad" - looks great, served in a huge bowl, but actually it's all lettuce at the bottom and just a sprinkling of the ham and olives on top.A few years back i picked the first couple of the series up, and have enjoyed reading each one as they were published, but Herron's writing is starting to grate in this book- the plot is too thin, and the dialogue and descriptive writing haven't moved on for the last few books- the prose is refreshing when you first read it, but by book 7 the satire has lost it's bite and is a bit predictable.
On the plus side - familiar characters who behave consistently, a rare depiction of the reality of espionage being more like accountancy audit than bungeeing off dams into enemy bases, good ear for dialogue and phrasing.
On the down side - Only one 'thing' really happens, the rest is fluff and padding with a number of potentially good ideas that are not properly explored. The sly digs at the political class have morphed from general satire to hohoho-so-carefully-not-really disguised shots at Johnson and Farage. But he's not brave enough to call them out by name and yet they are so specific that the book will be painfully out of date very quickly. Imagine reading something now with satire about Nick Clegg and thinking that it was a worthwhile effort.
Overall though if you are not aware of the series I would recommend trying it out; don't start with this book, they need to be read in order.
droopsnoot said:
lowdrag said:
Here's an interesting photo; the same book, different covers. One is the pre-launch proof and the other the final one for sale. Not started it yet but I'll report back in due course. The one on the left is the on sale version of course.
I've just finished this. It was OK, but I didn't enojy it as much I was hoping to. A couple of twists (or one for me that I thought was coming but didn't), the ending seemed a bit rushed and there seemed a bit too much repetition. Not terrible, though.Have you read it, what did you think?
ETA and now on to a book I know I will enjoy; Dave Robichaux is back in "A Private Cathedral". Bugger! I read it last summer! Back to the pile for another choice, and, joy, I find another James Lee Burke, this time "Wayfaring Stranger". More anon.
Edited by lowdrag on Tuesday 23 February 09:08
Edited by lowdrag on Tuesday 23 February 09:08
tight fart said:
Xmas present, I think it's awful, I've struggled to read more than 1 chapter at a time and they it tend to only be 2 pages long.
He does low / middlebrow TV as a producer and presenter; why would his book be any different? Good enough at what it is, for what it is.I like his success, but very conscious that Frankie Boyle’s view of him rings quite true.
Stuart70 said:
He does low / middlebrow TV as a producer and presenter; why would his book be any different? Good enough at what it is, for what it is.
I like his success, but very conscious that Frankie Boyle’s view of him rings quite true.
Whats Frankie Boyles view....a quick google didnt turn up anything other than an interview they did a few years back. Genuinely interested. I like his success, but very conscious that Frankie Boyle’s view of him rings quite true.
I caught a radio interview with FB a month or so back and he came across quite well compared to his public persona.
cavey76 said:
Stuart70 said:
He does low / middlebrow TV as a producer and presenter; why would his book be any different? Good enough at what it is, for what it is.
I like his success, but very conscious that Frankie Boyle’s view of him rings quite true.
Whats Frankie Boyles view....a quick google didnt turn up anything other than an interview they did a few years back. Genuinely interested. I like his success, but very conscious that Frankie Boyle’s view of him rings quite true.
I caught a radio interview with FB a month or so back and he came across quite well compared to his public persona.
It was a little “tetchy” but polite and not antagonistic. They come from different views of the world. FB did not value RO’s place in the scheme of things very highly.
An agreement to disagree on world view, would be my summary. It is on YouTube if you search on their two names.
lowdrag said:
ETA and now on to a book I know I will enjoy; Dave Robichaux is back in "A Private Cathedral". Bugger! I read it last summer! Back to the pile for another choice, and, joy, I find another James Lee Burke, this time "Wayfaring Stranger". More anon.
Whoa there! The first few pages found me in that comfort zone, sitting on the porch in my rocking chair smoking my pipe and looking out over the bayou. But then - chapter 2 changes everything. This is no Dave Robichaux book, and we change to WW2 and the Ardennes. As always, the prose sucks you in and you are living the experience, not just reading, and I am convinced that this will turn out to be a book to keep forever. It surprised me that it was published in 2014 and I had never heard of it, but better late than never. I am savouring the experience.A friend of mine wrote a book on how he experienced watching the last World Cup around the multicultural communities of London whilst battling some mental health demons. I read it when it was first released and really enjoyed it but given the state of the world at the moment I have just re-read it with a whole new perspective as I pictured the lively and vibrant areas completely deserted.
You don't need to be a football fan to enjoy it and I know I'm a bit biased but I reckon it's well worth a read:
You don't need to be a football fan to enjoy it and I know I'm a bit biased but I reckon it's well worth a read:
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