Book review thread

[RobYob]

Just finished the new James SA Corey book "The Mercy of Gods", well it's a big step away from The Expanse. I guess they wanted a completely new universe to play in. None of the characters are as instantly likeable as the loveable rogues of the Rocinante and those that survive book 1 of this new series are mostly on the less likeable spectrum.

The world building itself is pretty well done, there's the titular "gods" that have enslaved the human population and a few other intriguing factions at play.

Because it has more technomagic than The Expanse there's less of the cool applications of conventional physics and more of the usual Sci-fi; we have FTL travel, nano-tech, etc etc. More along the lines of Neal Asher's Polity books (which I enjoy in small doses).

Kinda feels like damning with faint praise which maybe I am. I look forward to the 2nd book and if it becomes an epic saga then I'll consider book 1 a low key opening to an interesting story.

[DeskJockey]

Neal Stephenson Anathema

Tough to read. It explores a lot of scientific themes and concepts, creates a whole world, and tells a story. But, everything up to page 750ish felt like it was setting the scene and building up to the finale in the last 200 pages.

I get that's how books work, but it just didn't have his trademark flow and drive until the very end.

The key issue is, for me, that he's invented a whole new cosmos, and there's a lot of explanation to do to build it with any kind of depth and fidelity. That slows things down and steals the focus. It has been a long time since it took me three months to finish a book (even one nudging a thousand pages).

The test is whether I was keen to pick up in the evening, and I wasn't.

[Explosive Newt]

Graham Greene - The Comedians

Got a 1974 paperback copy for $2 in Canada, I bloody love a Graham Greene.

[duncs500]

Holidays coming up, non-fiction (preferably history or science or both) recommendations please! 3... 2... 1... GO!

[speedingfine]

Holidays coming up, non-fiction (preferably history or science or both) recommendations please! 3... 2... 1... GO!

Just read Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. Seeing the film hardly spoil it, a crazy story.

[dinny_g]

History recommendation

The Silenced by Claudia Fava

“'A gargantuan, memorable story, a film in the making, ready for global success' - La Repubblica, Italy

'A powerful and heart-breaking story about sacrifice and courage' - Le Monde, France

Argentina,1978. President Jorge Rafael Videla's military dictatorship reigns with an iron fist, regularly kidnapping, torturing and murdering political activists and opponents and their families at secret concentration camps. The country is locked in a spiral of fear and chaos - and are soon to host the World Cup.

As the cacophony of protest against Videla's government rises, his regime's drive to 'disappear' these troublesome elements accelerates before they can embarrass him in front of the world s media.

This is the story of a rugby club that refused to be silenced. When one of their teammates is found dead assassinated the Club La Plata first XV took a minute s silence before their next game. The minute ran to two ... to three ... For ten long minutes they stood in furious silence.

When the junta learned of this protest it wasn t long before another player disappeared. And then another. Over the course of four years, twenty La Plata players were murdered by the regime: gunned down, assassinated, 'disappeared'.

This extraordinary novel is based on interviews with survivors of Argentina s so-called 'dirty war' in the seventies, when tens of thousands of protesters disappeared, many never to be found again. Bold, powerful and heart-breaking, The Silenced is a portrait of astonishing courage and defiance and an examination of the unbreakable bonds forged by a team of rugby players in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.”

It’s a part of recent history I was ‘aware of’ without knowing the real story. Harrowing in parts and very tragic but very good.

[DaveE]

Orbital

It's won several awards (somehow), and I rarely give up on a book, but this one was just so booooring

[Swervin_Mervin]

I not long ago finished The Hydrogen Sonata, completing the full suite of the Culture series. I've read all the SF books by Banks now, in order. Seems somewhat sad to reach the end. So I started reading Consider Phlebas again

I did read Leviathan Awakes after the Hyrdogen Sonata - enjoyed it ultimately, but there's just something about the way Banks is able to articulate the galaxy, technology and species-spanning aspects of his universe that makes it such a high bar.

I've also just started reading Abroad in Japan, about the decade a British English teacher spent in Japan. It was billed as being hilarious, but it's not. It's interesting, no doubt, but that's as far as I'd go. And for an English teacher it's bloody frustrating that he doesn't understand the usage of less vs fewer

[RobYob]

With the hype for the Apple TV adaption of The Murderbot Diaries I decided to give the books a go, and they really really went! I think I got through the first four in a week and the next two in the week after. Very entertaining.

The TV show has started pretty well too although they've made some significant changes, but probably a wise choice given the internal monologue heavy books.

In between Murderbot and inspired by series 2 of Good Omens I tried to get into The Crow Road, and kinda failed, again. Iain M Banks is great but I can't summon the patience for his non Sci-Fi.

[Jobbo]

I tried to get into The Crow Road, and kinda failed, again. Iain M Banks is great but I can't summon the patience for his non Sci-Fi.

I loved The Wasp Factory and The Crow Road back in the 90s. I do think others of his such as Complicity and Dead Air stand up better over time.

Sci fi is not my thing so I've only got one of his Iain M Banks books and I forget which one

[DeskJockey]

I'm reading the final book in Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Final Architecture series. It isn't as provocative as the Children of Time trilogy, but he still pushes the boundaries. I'm really enjoying it.

Next I will be coming back down to earth, literally, by immersing myself in a slew of Murakami books.

[Zonda_]

I not long ago finished The Hydrogen Sonata, completing the full suite of the Culture series. I've read all the SF books by Banks now, in order. Seems somewhat sad to reach the end. So I started reading Consider Phlebas again

I did read Leviathan Awakes after the Hyrdogen Sonata - enjoyed it ultimately, but there's just something about the way Banks is able to articulate the galaxy, technology and species-spanning aspects of his universe that makes it such a high bar.

I've also just started reading Abroad in Japan, about the decade a British English teacher spent in Japan. It was billed as being hilarious, but it's not. It's interesting, no doubt, but that's as far as I'd go. And for an English teacher it's bloody frustrating that he doesn't understand the usage of less vs fewer

I’ve been looking for some new sci-fi, not read any Ian Banks, which one would you recommended starting with?

[DeskJockey]

I not long ago finished The Hydrogen Sonata, completing the full suite of the Culture series. I've read all the SF books by Banks now, in order. Seems somewhat sad to reach the end. So I started reading Consider Phlebas again

I did read Leviathan Awakes after the Hyrdogen Sonata - enjoyed it ultimately, but there's just something about the way Banks is able to articulate the galaxy, technology and species-spanning aspects of his universe that makes it such a high bar.

I've also just started reading Abroad in Japan, about the decade a British English teacher spent in Japan. It was billed as being hilarious, but it's not. It's interesting, no doubt, but that's as far as I'd go. And for an English teacher it's bloody frustrating that he doesn't understand the usage of less vs fewer

I’ve been looking for some new sci-fi, not read any Ian Banks, which one would you recommended starting with?

You're in for a treat! I would come at them in order, but that's my preference. I think Consider Phlebas (book 1 in the Culture series) or Use of Weapons (book 3).

[Swervin_Mervin]

I not long ago finished The Hydrogen Sonata, completing the full suite of the Culture series. I've read all the SF books by Banks now, in order. Seems somewhat sad to reach the end. So I started reading Consider Phlebas again

I did read Leviathan Awakes after the Hyrdogen Sonata - enjoyed it ultimately, but there's just something about the way Banks is able to articulate the galaxy, technology and species-spanning aspects of his universe that makes it such a high bar.

I've also just started reading Abroad in Japan, about the decade a British English teacher spent in Japan. It was billed as being hilarious, but it's not. It's interesting, no doubt, but that's as far as I'd go. And for an English teacher it's bloody frustrating that he doesn't understand the usage of less vs fewer

I’ve been looking for some new sci-fi, not read any Ian Banks, which one would you recommended starting with?

You're in for a treat! I would come at them in order, but that's my preference. I think Consider Phlebas (book 1 in the Culture series) or Use of Weapons (book 3).

As DJ says, I'd start at the start with Consider Phlebas. It sets the context of so much of what follows, even though in many respects they're all standalone tales. However, it's setting (in time and events) is regularly referenced in all the subsequent Culture books.

What's interesting having now read the lot, in order, and then going back to the start, is to see how Banks' writing style evolved. There were a few of the later books that for me got a bit OTT on some of the scene setting descriptions, but he was absolutely on his best form with the last book Hyrdogen Sonata.

[Zonda_]

Bought Consider Phlebas

[mik]

You're in for a treat! I would come at them in order, but that's my preference. I think Consider Phlebas (book 1 in the Culture series) or Use of Weapons (book 3).

That's the 2 that I recommended to a colleague recently (although I read CP years after I'd read UOW).

Chapter6 - The Eaters - is awesome