agripa
Molten Core Raider
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What did you just read?
- Thread starter Fippy Darkpaw
- Start date
Campbell1oo4
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Intrinsic
Person of Whiteness
- 14,233
- 11,642
The Peripheral by William Gibson
Not sure how to feel about this one. Read it because the show is coming out on Amazon. I liked the idea and the characters, most of the stuff they were building up with the jackpot, the tech, etc. But the whodunit felt very underwhelming, disconnected, and not very important. The wrap up took all of 2 paragraphs and had no impact.
I guess it is a trilogy? The Kindle version said book 1 anyways. Probably would read the 2nd just because. I was never totally clear if the Stub was an actual reality or purely a simulation running on the server in China. Maybe that’s the point and part of the dilemma.
The preview for the TV looks like it adds quite a bit of action and pew pew, to no surprise. We’ll see how they pull off the rest
Not sure how to feel about this one. Read it because the show is coming out on Amazon. I liked the idea and the characters, most of the stuff they were building up with the jackpot, the tech, etc. But the whodunit felt very underwhelming, disconnected, and not very important. The wrap up took all of 2 paragraphs and had no impact.
I guess it is a trilogy? The Kindle version said book 1 anyways. Probably would read the 2nd just because. I was never totally clear if the Stub was an actual reality or purely a simulation running on the server in China. Maybe that’s the point and part of the dilemma.
The preview for the TV looks like it adds quite a bit of action and pew pew, to no surprise. We’ll see how they pull off the rest
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I read the 2nd book (Agency) first not realizing they were set in the same 'world'. There are returning characters in both books so since you've already read the 1st one, you should give it a go.
- 1
Void
Experiencer
- 9,411
- 11,077
The Other Emily by Dean Koontz
I have been reading a lot of litrpg lately, and while some is drastically better than another, I had almost forgotten what it was like to read a "real" author. Aside from Odd Thomas maybe ten years ago, it has easily been over twenty years since I read anything by Koontz, and I was pleasantly surprised. Like most of his books, and most in the genre in general, the ending comes up rather quickly and falls sort of flat, but the journey to get there is amazing. At least I thought so.
To briefly summarize what is probably on the jacket, main guy lost the love of his life ten years ago to what is almost certainly foul play. Yet now he sees her, exactly as she was ten years ago, as if not a day had passed, except that she seems to be someone else. Same exact looks, mannerisms, likes/dislikes, etc. but is not his Emily.
The main character makes a ton of really stupid decisions, which normally would bother me greatly, but he actually realizes he's doing it and at least addresses it, even though he feels powerless to stop doing it.
Like I said, I really, really enjoyed it. Perhaps someone that has been keeping current with the genre won't find it as great as I did, but even without my rose-colored glasses I think it is easily at least in the "pretty pretty good" category.
I have been reading a lot of litrpg lately, and while some is drastically better than another, I had almost forgotten what it was like to read a "real" author. Aside from Odd Thomas maybe ten years ago, it has easily been over twenty years since I read anything by Koontz, and I was pleasantly surprised. Like most of his books, and most in the genre in general, the ending comes up rather quickly and falls sort of flat, but the journey to get there is amazing. At least I thought so.
To briefly summarize what is probably on the jacket, main guy lost the love of his life ten years ago to what is almost certainly foul play. Yet now he sees her, exactly as she was ten years ago, as if not a day had passed, except that she seems to be someone else. Same exact looks, mannerisms, likes/dislikes, etc. but is not his Emily.
The main character makes a ton of really stupid decisions, which normally would bother me greatly, but he actually realizes he's doing it and at least addresses it, even though he feels powerless to stop doing it.
Like I said, I really, really enjoyed it. Perhaps someone that has been keeping current with the genre won't find it as great as I did, but even without my rose-colored glasses I think it is easily at least in the "pretty pretty good" category.
- 1
Abigailicious
Lord Nagafen Raider
- 193
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jreacher2
Hoofshots 1.0 Member
- 130
- 508
Some years ago, my wife was in labor with one of our kids and we were both reading different Dean Koontz books at the hospital. I decided to snap a photo of us holding his books and sent him some handwritten fan mail with the photo in the envelope.
He responded with a handwritten letter and gave us a free book.
I agree he's underrated. But I also think he's a good person too.
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I feel like good person writers are rare. A lot of them a fucking cunts
- 1
Intrinsic
Person of Whiteness
- 14,233
- 11,642
I guess because his books were all over the place at check out counters and airports, you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting another Dean Koontz novel. My impression was he was a hack churning out novelty shop novels at as quick a pace as he could. Admittedly this is based on less than zero actual evidence and purely bias in my part.
It is good to hear opinions from people here who do enjoy the books. I may pick up one on Kindle and give it a shot. Need something new after finishing:
Agency (Book 2 - The Jackpot Trilogy)
I thought it was a little better than the first. Already knowing the set up and characters allowed more focus on the events. The book was also very thematically different centering around an AI and a world conflict backdrop. The Peripheral was alright, but as I said before it felt like it wanted to be a crime whodunnit novel and was awkward in a way. Agency seemed more cohesive but did have a subplot that felt not very integrated. Netherton also was basically useless, not even sure what value he added to the story.
Hopefully Book 3 comes out sometime soon so I don’t forget too much. This book went in to more detail about the stubs and motivations of players, as well as a couple of key players. A little more info (or interpretations) of the Jackpot itself.
There were a few examples in the plot where current events played way too much of a backdrop and almost too judgmentally expressed. That’s me being very keyed on to them and very likely overreacting or interpreting them (maybe projecting even) incorrectly.
It is good to hear opinions from people here who do enjoy the books. I may pick up one on Kindle and give it a shot. Need something new after finishing:
Agency (Book 2 - The Jackpot Trilogy)
I thought it was a little better than the first. Already knowing the set up and characters allowed more focus on the events. The book was also very thematically different centering around an AI and a world conflict backdrop. The Peripheral was alright, but as I said before it felt like it wanted to be a crime whodunnit novel and was awkward in a way. Agency seemed more cohesive but did have a subplot that felt not very integrated. Netherton also was basically useless, not even sure what value he added to the story.
Hopefully Book 3 comes out sometime soon so I don’t forget too much. This book went in to more detail about the stubs and motivations of players, as well as a couple of key players. A little more info (or interpretations) of the Jackpot itself.
There were a few examples in the plot where current events played way too much of a backdrop and almost too judgmentally expressed. That’s me being very keyed on to them and very likely overreacting or interpreting them (maybe projecting even) incorrectly.
- 2
Koontz's books are pretty entertaining, but I read about 15 of them in a row and they all kind of blurred together. He definitely has ( or had, possibly ) a formula.
- 2
- 1
Void
Experiencer
- 9,411
- 11,077
From what I remember from years ago, this most recent book follows the formula pretty closely. As I mentioned in my review, the lead up stuff was pretty fascinating, and then the ending was too quick and a little flat...which is exactly how I remember feeling about every other book I've ever read of his.
Looking back on it, I'd probably rate The Other Emily at 3.5 stars now, but at the time I was so fucking happy to not be reading the shlock (litrpg) that I have read most of this past year. Don't get me wrong, much of that shlock is fun as fuck, but to see an actually edited book with a coherent plan throughout was kind of refreshing.
Abigailicious
Lord Nagafen Raider
- 193
- 453
What a great anecdote. If you read enough of his books, his humanity shines through, that would be totally in character with him. And yes, Koontz's books were all over airports and things like that, that's where I got to first read him. I'd have a flight delayed, fuck I don't have a book to read, go to the airport bookstore, if I saw a Koontz book I KNEW it would be a great story and would buy it regardless. Now I appreciate the audiobooks. He's not perfect, but he's more succinct than King.
- 2
Campbell1oo4
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
- 1,930
- 6,136
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton
An interesting book. GK Chesterton is a skilled writer, mixing his logic with poetic imagery that really flourishes in the mind.
Some of the logic was hard for me to follow, possibly because I am new to the Christian faith, but the poetry is very beautiful and worth the read.
He does make an interesting point, that we as a society should not look at history as a materialistic/economic timeline in which things get better and nations go to war for resources. Chesterton instead writes that we should look at history as a story, in which we are bit players, and there is a purpose to everything that ties in with the grander narrative.
Boots are important, but you don't make them the most cherished thing in your life.
This was very astounding to me, because I was trained in the university to study and write history in the first way. The second way, though, is much more attractive. To live in a world charged with purpose, to see meaning in symbols and events all around me, that is what it truly means to live. Poetry written down in a book is nice, but to live it is ideal.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is the description of "The War Between the Gods and the Demons." This is the Punic War, fought between the Romans and the Carthaginians. Chesterton claims that the Romans were repelled by Carthage's penchant for sacrificing babies in furnaces. They decided to fight their war, not to establish economic hegemony over the Med, but to destroy evil itself.
---
Sword and Citadel by Gene Wolfe (Spoilers)
On the surface it appears to be a sci-fi novel. There are strange ships, aliens and fantastic weapons. There are creatures brought from somewhere deep in space, along with numerous pieces of technology.
Yet the way this novel unfolds, it could just as easily be read as a religious tract. Some of the aliens appear to be angels, guiding humanity according to some mysterious rule. Other aliens seem to be demons, devouring humanity in their weakness.
The fantastic weapons, ships and technology don’t have a one-for-one counterpart to theology, except for perhaps as examples of the ‘help’ that the angels render humanity.
During all of this there are numerous creatures that reside beneath the ocean that are using their legions of zombie-like minions to try and take over the world. It is only because of the Autarch, a sort of benign dictator, and his loyal cohorts that these zombies are defeated.
Is this just some war between an invading alien species and humanity? Or are the aliens beneath the sea demons, and their zombies are slaves to sin? Is the Autarch just a benign dictator, or is it a representation of the Divine Self? Of Christ as the King that returns to win the Last Battle?
I am sure that none of this is wild speculation. Gene Wolfe was a catholic and said that his beliefs influenced his writing.
Throughout the novel there are quite a few events that are much more indicative of Scripture, to the point where they cannot be ignored.
Severius spends a good deal of time (possibly 40 days) in a wilderness, wandering about, at the end of which he is brought to a mountaintop fortress and offered a great kingdom. He rejects this and comes down from the mountaintop in order to spend his time in a sort of hospital, at first as a patient. He goes on to become a soldier, fighting against the ‘zombies.’
The parallel is strong. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before starting his ministry, which consisting of going amongst the poor and the sick, healing them, and also exorcising demons.
Then there is the Autarch himself. At first this position is held by a character that seems both male and female at the same time, later revealed to be a failed attempt at the ‘New Sun.’ The ‘New Sun’ is the person that will revive the dying sun and bring new life to earth.
Adam, from the Bible, was also the origin point for Eve. In this way he could be construed as half male and half female, and he was split apart to begin the species. Christ has also been identified as the Second Adam, in which man and woman are united once again (this being the sacrament of marriage).
In this novel, the current Autarch seems to be something like a Adam and Eve figure. But it is the main character Severian that is truly interesting. Upon the death of the first Autarch, Severian adopts all his memories through ingestion. He then returns to Nessus, the main city of his country, and uses special words to win over the local officials. He is draped in robes of office and brought to the highest place as Master of the City. The symbology points to Christ the King returning in the book of Revelation, which is fitting as this takes place at the very end of the novel.
We don’t get to see the last battle, it is left up in the air as to whether or not Severian is the New Sun, but the symbology seems to point that way.
The most startling thing about the ending, which I am not sure I understood, was that Dorcas – the one time lover of Severian – also appears to be his grandmother. Her son is a minor character from the first book, a man working in an inn. The symbology of this is beyond me, but like so many things in this novel I can feel it lingering beneath the surface.
Read it and read it as you will, as a sci fi novel or a religious tract. Either way you will get something out of it. If you read it both ways at the same time, with stereo vision, you will get even more.
Because that is the crowning achievement of this book, not the religious symbology but the methodology of its writing. We are not meant to know exactly what the truth is. We are meant to revel in the mystery, to read it in many different ways at the same time and accept all the contradictions. This is also, I believe, how we are meant to read the Bible. Not with authority, but with a love and acceptance of the divine mystery.
---
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (Also spoilers)
Wild book. Clearly it is a cautionary tale, a tragedy of what occurs when one tries to live in rebellion against God. The two main characters; Haze and Enoch, both have ideas about Christ. Haze outright denies Christ. Enoch doesn't think he needs him.
In his wrestling with truth, Haze comes to the conclusion there is no truth and because of that he burns out his eyes with lime. What does this signify? Does he see God in all the world so he cuts himself off? He ends up living like a saint, eating little and seemingly meditating all the day long. He puts glass and stones in his shoes, he wraps barbed wire around his chest. He inflicts pain upon himself because he is "unclean" but this seems a direct contradiction to his preaching throughout the story; that there is no Christ and he doesn't need redemption.
Enoch seems to get it worse. He doesn't seem to learn at all. In his quest for purpose and validation, he becomes a gorilla. He becomes a man masquerading as an animal. Without God he is nothing but an animal.
Intense book. I will probably read it again in a year and see if I can see anything else in it.
An interesting book. GK Chesterton is a skilled writer, mixing his logic with poetic imagery that really flourishes in the mind.
Some of the logic was hard for me to follow, possibly because I am new to the Christian faith, but the poetry is very beautiful and worth the read.
He does make an interesting point, that we as a society should not look at history as a materialistic/economic timeline in which things get better and nations go to war for resources. Chesterton instead writes that we should look at history as a story, in which we are bit players, and there is a purpose to everything that ties in with the grander narrative.
Boots are important, but you don't make them the most cherished thing in your life.
This was very astounding to me, because I was trained in the university to study and write history in the first way. The second way, though, is much more attractive. To live in a world charged with purpose, to see meaning in symbols and events all around me, that is what it truly means to live. Poetry written down in a book is nice, but to live it is ideal.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is the description of "The War Between the Gods and the Demons." This is the Punic War, fought between the Romans and the Carthaginians. Chesterton claims that the Romans were repelled by Carthage's penchant for sacrificing babies in furnaces. They decided to fight their war, not to establish economic hegemony over the Med, but to destroy evil itself.
---
Sword and Citadel by Gene Wolfe (Spoilers)
On the surface it appears to be a sci-fi novel. There are strange ships, aliens and fantastic weapons. There are creatures brought from somewhere deep in space, along with numerous pieces of technology.
Yet the way this novel unfolds, it could just as easily be read as a religious tract. Some of the aliens appear to be angels, guiding humanity according to some mysterious rule. Other aliens seem to be demons, devouring humanity in their weakness.
The fantastic weapons, ships and technology don’t have a one-for-one counterpart to theology, except for perhaps as examples of the ‘help’ that the angels render humanity.
During all of this there are numerous creatures that reside beneath the ocean that are using their legions of zombie-like minions to try and take over the world. It is only because of the Autarch, a sort of benign dictator, and his loyal cohorts that these zombies are defeated.
Is this just some war between an invading alien species and humanity? Or are the aliens beneath the sea demons, and their zombies are slaves to sin? Is the Autarch just a benign dictator, or is it a representation of the Divine Self? Of Christ as the King that returns to win the Last Battle?
I am sure that none of this is wild speculation. Gene Wolfe was a catholic and said that his beliefs influenced his writing.
Throughout the novel there are quite a few events that are much more indicative of Scripture, to the point where they cannot be ignored.
Severius spends a good deal of time (possibly 40 days) in a wilderness, wandering about, at the end of which he is brought to a mountaintop fortress and offered a great kingdom. He rejects this and comes down from the mountaintop in order to spend his time in a sort of hospital, at first as a patient. He goes on to become a soldier, fighting against the ‘zombies.’
The parallel is strong. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before starting his ministry, which consisting of going amongst the poor and the sick, healing them, and also exorcising demons.
Then there is the Autarch himself. At first this position is held by a character that seems both male and female at the same time, later revealed to be a failed attempt at the ‘New Sun.’ The ‘New Sun’ is the person that will revive the dying sun and bring new life to earth.
Adam, from the Bible, was also the origin point for Eve. In this way he could be construed as half male and half female, and he was split apart to begin the species. Christ has also been identified as the Second Adam, in which man and woman are united once again (this being the sacrament of marriage).
In this novel, the current Autarch seems to be something like a Adam and Eve figure. But it is the main character Severian that is truly interesting. Upon the death of the first Autarch, Severian adopts all his memories through ingestion. He then returns to Nessus, the main city of his country, and uses special words to win over the local officials. He is draped in robes of office and brought to the highest place as Master of the City. The symbology points to Christ the King returning in the book of Revelation, which is fitting as this takes place at the very end of the novel.
We don’t get to see the last battle, it is left up in the air as to whether or not Severian is the New Sun, but the symbology seems to point that way.
The most startling thing about the ending, which I am not sure I understood, was that Dorcas – the one time lover of Severian – also appears to be his grandmother. Her son is a minor character from the first book, a man working in an inn. The symbology of this is beyond me, but like so many things in this novel I can feel it lingering beneath the surface.
Read it and read it as you will, as a sci fi novel or a religious tract. Either way you will get something out of it. If you read it both ways at the same time, with stereo vision, you will get even more.
Because that is the crowning achievement of this book, not the religious symbology but the methodology of its writing. We are not meant to know exactly what the truth is. We are meant to revel in the mystery, to read it in many different ways at the same time and accept all the contradictions. This is also, I believe, how we are meant to read the Bible. Not with authority, but with a love and acceptance of the divine mystery.
---
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (Also spoilers)
Wild book. Clearly it is a cautionary tale, a tragedy of what occurs when one tries to live in rebellion against God. The two main characters; Haze and Enoch, both have ideas about Christ. Haze outright denies Christ. Enoch doesn't think he needs him.
In his wrestling with truth, Haze comes to the conclusion there is no truth and because of that he burns out his eyes with lime. What does this signify? Does he see God in all the world so he cuts himself off? He ends up living like a saint, eating little and seemingly meditating all the day long. He puts glass and stones in his shoes, he wraps barbed wire around his chest. He inflicts pain upon himself because he is "unclean" but this seems a direct contradiction to his preaching throughout the story; that there is no Christ and he doesn't need redemption.
Enoch seems to get it worse. He doesn't seem to learn at all. In his quest for purpose and validation, he becomes a gorilla. He becomes a man masquerading as an animal. Without God he is nothing but an animal.
Intense book. I will probably read it again in a year and see if I can see anything else in it.
- 3
Arbitrary
Tranny Chaser
- 27,093
- 71,706
- 7,891
- 7,704
So I can watch the same TV show over and over and over. God knows how many times I've watched various Star Treks, Stargates, BSG, House, and a few others. But I'm entirely incapable of rereading books. Not sure what it is. I think it's that I don't remember enough, but I sit there the whole time going I've read this before. I think I have to be too engaged in books, where I can more tune out tv.
Arbitrary
Tranny Chaser
- 27,093
- 71,706
An aging revolutionary is arrested, imprisoned and put on trial by the machine he worked his entire life to bring to power.
It was really good. Despite it being fiction it makes an interesting little companion piece to the Gulag Archipelago. You know how in 1984 and Brave New World we get scenes where the machine's representative lectures the protagonist? This has two of those and they do a better job of explaining the justifications for the Soviet Union killing so many of its own people than I have found maybe anywhere else. It's chilling.
- 3