What We're Reading

[traxits]

plowing through Scott Orson Card's "holy shit he wrote something besides ender's game?" stuff right now

the Maker series is fucking fantastic, just enough alt-history to not make it over the top. low-fantasy set in 1800 Indiana.

also Treason was fucking good (main character's royal house members regenerate battle wounds rapidly giving them great advantage....and then homeboy wakes up with a big set of literal tits, adventure ensues)

does it have pictures

[[ptx]]

Read (partly) Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Gotta say, I was very disappointed. Characters are awfully shallow cliches (mostly they're just names that exist to surround the equally personality-less main characters), rampant misogyny (don't think 1961 being the year of its writing is enough of an excuse), somewhat poor plot... and then suddenly, out of the blue, there is tons of super bizarre and senseless sex going on, described in a rather awful manner. Not recommended, feels like I wasted my time on this turd.

[Drunken_sailor]

You probably just didn't grock it.  Did you read the original manuscript or the edited?  Probably wouldn't matter if you didn't like it though.

[Golem]

Almost read through The Whale - allegedly unabridged version - I caught myself not reading carefully, instead I started to become wont to skimp over words and take in the general picture, but that only shows how the grip on the plot is as firm as the manner in which it goes decrying of its waterscapes.

[Paul]

Read (partly) Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Gotta say, I was very disappointed. Characters are awfully shallow cliches (mostly they're just names that exist to surround the equally personality-less main characters), rampant misogyny (don't think 1961 being the year of its writing is enough of an excuse), somewhat poor plot... and then suddenly, out of the blue, there is tons of super bizarre and senseless sex going on, described in a rather awful manner. Not recommended, feels like I wasted my time on this turd.

I liked Starship Troopers though. Didn't regret reading it even though I didn't know what to expect.

[[ptx]]

Yeah, Starship Troopers was good, which is why I was so disappointed with this. Reading some other reviews online, it's apparent I'm not the only one.

[Sandersson Jankins]

Read (partly) Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Gotta say, I was very disappointed. Characters are awfully shallow cliches (mostly they're just names that exist to surround the equally personality-less main characters), rampant misogyny (don't think 1961 being the year of its writing is enough of an excuse), somewhat poor plot... and then suddenly, out of the blue, there is tons of super bizarre and senseless sex going on, described in a rather awful manner. Not recommended, feels like I wasted my time on this turd.

the biggest gripe i had with stranger in a strange land was jubal's sometimes-cringy antics with his live-in but *surely* platonic sex-kitten assistant/homemaker/security staff. heinlein certainly has the tendency to basically insert his own projection of his wife Virginia as every female character. interesting that he seemed to do this even before meeting+marrying the woman. damn near every female character he's ever written with any clout in the story is the exact same.

i enjoyed it although have read enough genre fiction to see a piss-poor ending coming up and im like NAH DOG NO NOT LIKE THIS I KNOW ITS COMING NOT LIKE THIS FUCK

heinlein is also my favorite author so his writing style is very comfortable to me.

i recently bought a book thats like a cross between Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson (which you must read, its a masterpiece tbh) and Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. i don't buy books, find ebooks in the asscrack of the internet or use university library, but had to buy this one.

its fukken nice. https://www.amazon.com/Powers-Earth-Aristillus-Book-ebook/dp/B005JPPMS6

[Kirman]

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175545.Memed_My_Hawk

[Drunken_sailor]

i doubt there are any memes in that book

[Casul]

i doubt there are any memes in that book

already checked it before, its just full of arabic reviews

[Golem]

Damn what an ending. Already well on into The White-jacket now

[Angantyr]

Ernst Jünger's 'Storm of Steel' (Stahlgewittern in German).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_J%C3%BCnger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_of_Steel

Excellent reading, highly recommended. Ernst Jünger was a Prussian soldier, later officer, during WWI, where he won the Iron Cross 1st Class. Storm of Steel is his memoir of the war. He describes vividly the horror - and also occasional glory - of trench warfare and paints haunting pictures of the apocalyptic landscapes, ruined villages and dying men. Mostly writing with a professionel soldier's brutal detachedness he also demonstrates respectable honesty, empathy and a philosophical mind. In some ways this book stands in opposition to clear-cut criticisms of the war such as 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (Im Westen nichts Neues).

[Gravoth_iii]

Finished Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening, and thoroughly liked it. Light on the fantasy, with a medieval setting and fun characters. Not a "chosen one", or "prevent the end of the world" kind of story which was fortunate, those seem to appear too often and they put me off the moment its put on the table. (Great narrator on the audible audiobook, he is the reason i tried out Red Rising afterwards, his voice alone could guide me to new books)

Also Monster Hunter International which was really quite trash, but i did finish it and i guess i kind of enjoyed it. Its just a very simple book. Men in black kind of deal with all monsters and fairy tales being true such as vampires and orc existing, but hidden from general knowledge by the government. B-movie esque writing.

I decided to give Starship Troopers a try too since i love the movie so damn much. I knew it was going to be different, and it certainly was. I guess it felt kind of pointless at the end, no real climax, but i enjoyed it. A rise in the military in a fascist society pretty much sums it up, felt like most of it was just the army training.

And currently im listening to Red Rising which others describe as a more adult hunger games. Really quite brutal and depressing, hurts my soul that i didnt know i had. Its good though, enjoying it thoroughly.

And soon.. The Fall of Gondolin which i have high hopes for. Should arrive any day.

[[ptx]]

Recently (almost) read through Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke. Well... Let's just say I agree wholeheartedly with this review.

Arthur is great at describing hard sci-fi things in great detail and accuracy, but his stories just don't have much of a plot to them or it's very weak. Characters? They could all just be identical robots for the personality they have. So, once you get past the descriptions of whatever alien artifact he has thought of for some series of his, reading any further is just a complete waste of time. Rama series is thus good for the first book.

[Sandersson Jankins]

Recently (almost) read through Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke. Well... Let's just say I agree wholeheartedly with this review.

Arthur is great at describing hard sci-fi things in great detail and accuracy, but his stories just don't have much of a plot to them or it's very weak. Characters? They could all just be identical robots for the personality they have. So, once you get past the descriptions of whatever alien artifact he has thought of for some series of his, reading any further is just a complete waste of time. Rama series is thus good for the first book.

i read Rendevouz and Rama II and thought they were pretty poor, to be honest. i'm fucking down with some Clarke but for all the hype even normies have given this series, i couldn't really get into it.

Guns of the South by Turtledove, i avoided for years because i thought it would be a similar cringy white-power wankfest like The Turner Diaries but goddamn it was so fucking good