Yearly Targets (2017) - Totals and Specifics

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Wilshire

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« Reply #30 on: March 20, 2017, 04:43:25 pm »
Finished Ursula K Le Guin's "The Dispossessed"

This was a fantastic book. Once I realized that it was more about the characters than the plot itself, I really started enjoying this book. Its like a conversation about the human experience, covering topics from economics, politics, and academia, to friendship, marriage, parenting, everything in between, and much more. Quite moving, thought provoking, and for a book set in a star system some 20 light years away thousands of years in the future, following a scientist trying to develop the first FTL engine, its not what I expected.

Definitely worth the read if you're looking for some classic scifi. Probably pass this one buy if you're looking for plot heavy / action-packed, but worthwhile if you're in the right mindset.



Also noteworthy: the Ansible is developed in this book. As it turns out, she (Le Guin), was the first to call FTL communication by this name, and later Card and several other authors just wholesale lifted the idea :) . Card even has a cheeky comment in-universe about the name 'coming from some old book somewhere'. Great reference there, solidarity amongst the great scifi authors.

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« Last Edit: March 20, 2017, 04:44:59 pm by Wilshire »
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MSJ

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« Reply #31 on: March 20, 2017, 09:10:38 pm »
Finished Arm of the Sphinx by Bancroft. Very good sequel and his writing and story improves upon a very good story to begin with. I highly recommend it. ( 8 )

I am also about half way through American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Don't know why I've never read this before, it's great. And, wanted to read it ahead of the series on Stars coming out in April, which looks very, very fucking badass.(8 1/2)

Next, I am gonna give Blood Meridian a go. Obviously, you guys highly recommend it and have heard lots of good stuff about it. Hey, a book with a Slog, has to be a good book, amirite?
« Last Edit: March 20, 2017, 09:18:03 pm by MSJ »
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

Wilshire

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« Reply #32 on: March 21, 2017, 03:15:54 pm »
American Gods is one of the more recent Hugo and Nebula winners, definitely want to read that. Maybe after Windup Girl.

I'm not super into reading awarded books, but I've looked at lists of winners for just Hugo or just Nebula, and found that I've read several. Seems most decent and popular books have an award of some description, but popularity seems to be a pretty huge factor. Some books on either list that I inadvertently read were either really average or downright disappointing. That said, so far, everything that managed to win both those awards has been exceptional.
Certainly not to say that books without awards can't be great, but I figured I'd pick some of the low hanging fruit first. I'm mostly trying to expand the breadth of literary experience, reading authors I haven't already partaken of.
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MSJ

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« Reply #33 on: March 21, 2017, 03:29:38 pm »
American Gods is one of the more recent Hugo and Nebula winners, definitely want to read that. Maybe after Windup Girl.

I highly recommend it Wilshire, and I'm only half way through. Very interesting, but does have a bit of a slow pace at times. My favorite part is trying to figure out exactly who the "Old Gods" are exactly. As one not to well read in that regard, I have some trouble. Some are explained, others are not.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

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« Reply #34 on: March 23, 2017, 06:54:41 pm »
Finally managed to get through Tregillis's The Mechanical (book 4 of the year) - although I must admit I simply skimmed the last part. It's bad, and I mean really bad, on so many levels. The characters, even the ones you are supposed to like or at least sympathise, are irritating, the plot is uninteresting (and this is book one of the series - I'm not going to read the next for sure) and I finished it only because I really rarely leave books unfinished.
And one more thing - the language. There was simply too much profanity. Now, as you can guess from my being on this forum, I do not mind sex, violence and strong language. But only when it makes sense in the context. Here it looked like the author was shouting "hey, look, I know it's steampunk, but it's not young adult. Seriously, look, I'm swearing a lot, it's not YA! Not YA at all, remember!"
Definitely not recommended.

Now I'm reading something totally strange - a friend of mine asked me to read her husband's unpublished crime novel to see if it was any good. And while it certainly needs a lot of editing and proofreading, I'm already halfway through it (and I started reading on the train on Monday). Because the characters are realistic and believable.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

MSJ

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« Reply #35 on: March 30, 2017, 05:28:05 pm »
Finished American Gods, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Great Book (9). Then finished Dead Man's Steel, by Luke Scull (10). Great ending to a decent series. My favorite of the trilogy.

I am gonna spend some time rereading TSA. I think I'll start with TTT and go from there. I will take MG's advice and reread TTT. I'd start at the beginning, but I think I've gained all I can from PoN and TWP.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

Wilshire

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« Reply #36 on: March 31, 2017, 12:59:49 pm »
I'd start at the beginning, but I think I've gained all I can from PoN and TWP.
Blasphemy!
You forget, so I must ask: Is not truth infinite?
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Alia

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« Reply #37 on: April 10, 2017, 07:39:32 pm »
Finished the unpublished crime novel, which was pretty good (and in dire need of editing and proofreading), which is book 5 of the year, now I'm reading Norse Mythology by Gaiman. I've read Edda years ago, so the stories are familiar, but still it's nice to read them again.
Next in line is probably Watts's Echopraxia. I was waiting for an e-book of Polish translation, but as it's not available, I finally bought the original.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

MSJ

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« Reply #38 on: April 10, 2017, 11:56:14 pm »
Just finished Levithian Wakes, by James S.A. Corey (11). Great book, and I am glad I've stumbled into the Sci-fi genre. Onto Caliban's War, next in the Expanse series. Gonna read a few of these and start my re-read of TEA around beginning of May. Don't know wether I'll start at the beginning or TTT. But, looking at references from TDTCB, I realize how much I love that book,  so I might start from the beginning.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

Alia

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« Reply #39 on: April 18, 2017, 08:44:44 am »
Finished Norse Mythology (6). Short book, beautifully written stories that I was familiar with - but it was good to read them once more in this form. I've started Echopraxia and I realised that I'd forgotten much of Blindsight.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

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« Reply #40 on: April 19, 2017, 12:31:12 pm »
I just finished Babylon's Ashes, but I'm not sure what I want to read next.
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

MSJ

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« Reply #41 on: April 21, 2017, 12:07:12 pm »
Finished  Abaddon's Gate (12). Starting the next one in The Expanse, then on to my TSA reread.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

Wilshire

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« Reply #42 on: April 21, 2017, 12:44:42 pm »
Finished  Abaddon's Gate (12). Starting the next one in The Expanse, then on to my TSA reread.
Hey I got a shipping notification from Subterranean Press, I think its Abaddon's Gate. How did you like it?
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MSJ

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« Reply #43 on: April 21, 2017, 02:18:02 pm »
Wilshire, have you read Levithian Wakes and Caliban's War? I don't know how well Abaddon's Gate would work as a stand alone. The narrative follows heavily upon the first two books of the series. However, it is quite good. It's a very interesting story that builds upon the prior works quite nicely. Good characterization, plot is good, the overall writing does leave a bit to be desired, though. The books do follow the same layout in each one, that I've read so far. All in all, I really like them and would recommend to anyone. I am new to sci-fi, so I don't have a lot to compare them to.
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

Wilshire

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« Reply #44 on: April 21, 2017, 02:37:22 pm »
Fair enough, thanks for the review.

Finished "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" by Douglas Rushkoff

Great book. He has an interesting take on the current economic trends, how we got here, and some potential solutions. Glad I read it.

Total: 4
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