What'cha Reading?

[lincolnic]

Unseen Academicals, which I had never read before, didn't work that well for me. It is Discworld, so it's still a good read, but it shows that Pratchett wasn't at the top of his game anymore (not a fault of him, of course). It was nice to see Rincewind again, for once as part of the regular wizards, and spending time with Ridcully, in particular, is always fun. It was nice seeing Vimes in a more annoying light, than as a hero, and Vetinari is another all-time great one. Again, there is a lot to love about this one, too. But even here, it felt like Pratchett focused on the grimmer aspects of soccer, and how sports can play a part in breaking rulers, even some as powerful as absolute tyrants.

Yeah, I didn't love this one either. Maybe my least favorite Discworld book? Like you said, there's a lot of good stuff in it, but overall it felt almost like the book it's described as isn't the same as the book it turned out to be. It's supposed to be about the wizards forming a soccer team, and I felt like the wizards were mostly background characters.

 

[masterthes]

Finishing off White Sand by Brandon Sanderson with vol. 3, and then keeping with non-fiction by finally reading If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

White Sand was a fair experience. The middle volume was my least favorite, but the last volume did a nice job of sticking the landing. The Bruce Campbell was awesome, no surprise. The making of the first Evil Dead movie is pretty much the big selling point of the book, but also really enjoyed the Briscoe County Jr. section and the Hercules/Xena stories at the end. I finished Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warning this morning. A decent amount of stories. "The Sleeper and the Spindle" and "Black Dog" were the highlights, plus the Doctor Who story, but I had read it in a previous anthology. Currently, reading Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist

 

[Paul le Fou]

I couldn't bring myself to keep going in Hummingbird Salamander, so I put it back on the pile. Maybe someday, maybe it just gets DNF'd. That's two Vandermeer books in a row I couldn't finish, and Dead Astronauts was kind of a challenge itself. Sad, considering how much I liked the Southern Reach and Borne.

Anyway, I picked up Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okafor and so far I'm really liking it, despite its being pretty rough in the content warning department. But it doesn't dwell in the grimdarkness of its topics like say Marlon James seems to, though, it includes them and their fallout as awful things and moves on to keep telling its story. It's a quick read so far, with simple effective writing.

 

[estragon]

The use of shifts in perspective to build tension through dramatic irony in Les Miserables (Christine Donougher translation) is amazing. It's hilarious and nerve wracking to watch Marius in Part 3 gradually get way in over his head as he bumbles into the story without understanding anything.

 

[masterthes]

Adding to my actively reading pile are Horror Movies FAQ by John Kenneth Muir and Dreamsongs, Volume 1 by George RR Martin (mostly for The Ice Dragon, Sandkings, and Nightflyers)

 

[masterthes]

Silverthorn was solid, already have the last book on hold. Now, it's time to start this year's Spooky Season with My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

 

[masterthes]

Got a third through before DNFing it, so instead reading They Thirst by Robert McCammon

 

[Violentvixen]

The use of shifts in perspective to build tension through dramatic irony in Les Miserables (Christine Donougher translation) is amazing. It's hilarious and nerve wracking to watch Marius in Part 3 gradually get way in over his head as he bumbles into the story without understanding anything.

It is astounding how much they changed his character for the musical. Man I should re-read this but realistically wouldn't do it anytime soon.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

So a while back for cheap I picked up a series of comic-formatted novellas with pictures where Kolchak (from the TV show of the same name) encounters Lovecraft stuff. Don't recommend, even if you like the show. I really don't remember Darren McGavin's character being THIS heavy of a drinker and it's weirdly old fashioned yet makes reference to the Internet and such. Feels like tepid fan fiction.

But today I'll be picking up some horror books from the library for Halloween reading.

 

[estragon]

It is astounding how much they changed his character for the musical. Man I should re-read this but realistically wouldn't do it anytime soon.

Yeah it's definitely a commitment!

I'm reading it (still have a few hundred pages to go) in preparation to see the musical later this year, so I'm interested to see how it's adapted.I'm approaching both the novel and the musical from the weird position that my first encounter with it was watching the 1998 (non-musical) movie with a friend who liked the novel and the musical, although my memories are very vague.

I'm imagining a lot of the plot will have to be extremely streamlined. It's also necessarily going to feel quite different given how much of at least the first 3/4 of the novel is framed around at least the pretense of not directly announcing who characters are. The reveals are generally obvious and the narrator acknowledges this as such, but it informs the structure and narrative in a compelling way. There's always a sense of getting glimpse of something hidden that's an effective resonance between style and themes.

 

[Violentvixen]

Yeah it's definitely a commitment!

I'm reading it (still have a few hundred pages to go) in preparation to see the musical later this year, so I'm interested to see how it's adapted.I'm approaching both the novel and the musical from the weird position that my first encounter with it was watching the 1998 (non-musical) movie with a friend who liked the novel and the musical, although my memories are very vague.

I'm imagining a lot of the plot will have to be extremely streamlined. It's also necessarily going to feel quite different given how much of at least the first 3/4 of the novel is framed around at least the pretense of not directly announcing who characters are. The reveals are generally obvious and the narrator acknowledges this as such, but it informs the structure and narrative in a compelling way. There's always a sense of getting glimpse of something hidden that's an effective resonance between style and themes.

Oh dang I'll be really curious to hear your impressions and will avoid spoilers for now. There's a lot that's different/streamlined but I remember being generally impressed by how they adapted it. I think I'd only read an abridged edition before seeing the musical and read an unabridged one after but hard to remember now.

 

[shivam]

Just started reading Branderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea, and man, it is a huge tonal shift for his writing (in a fun way). it feels like Sanderson writing Steven Brust, but nicer, and it's real fun.

 

[FelixSH]

I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld - Tiffany Aching) is a big step up, after Unseen Academicals (which, again, I did enjoy too). It's an excellent book, and maybe the darkest Discworld book so far (with only three left, of which I have only read one, with no memory of it left). There is always the humorous, hopeful spark of Pratchett, so it never gets too grim. But you can really feel Pratchett wanting to talk about very problematic stuff.

When Wintersmith is about a former lover, who doesn't get that it's over, this one is about bullying. And about how bullying on a big scale can turn crowds into mobs. Taking away empathy, only leaving fear. Someone tries to hang himself. When it's dark, it's DARK.

But Pratchett also seemed like he had a bone to pick with religious busybodies, jerks who would hold their religion in front, like a shield. And act like all they don't like is evil, and against good religion. Caring only about the words, not the meaning. Like the shitty nurse, who is babbling on about how witchcraft is evil, despite it obviously helping the sick king. And then, she is the one who steals money.

There are a few details missing, specifically Tiffanys second, third and fourth thougths. They basically weren't a thing here, which is a shame, as they were always such a fun part of her. And as fun as it was to meet Eskarina again, there isn't much to her. I wished she played a bigger role. But I'm glad she became this nearly all-powerful mix of witch and sorcerer, with the understanding of the world from not-Stephen Hawking.

But really, these gripes aren't gripes, just small bumps in the ride that don't really matter. It's a book about some of the darkest forms that bullying can take, and still manages to be often light and cheerful. While never acting as if the main topic isn't deadly serious. What a great book. What a great sub-series. The Tiffany Aching books are so, so great.

 

[masterthes]

Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! by ZAZ

 

[masterthes]

I inhaled that book (really wasn't super long). Speaking of super long though, with my Year of Sanderson reaching it's final quarter, I thought it was finally time to begin The Way of Kings

 

[Paul le Fou]

In the mood for an easy, fun read, I picked up Jason Pargin's Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits and so far it's exactly what the doctor ordered.

 

[Rascally Badger]

Just started reading Branderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea, and man, it is a huge tonal shift for his writing (in a fun way). it feels like Sanderson writing Steven Brust, but nicer, and it's real fun.

I feel a little bad, because I had similar thoughts while reading it (also: The Princess Bride), but my conclusion was that Sanderson was definitely not playing to his strengths with that book. To me it was a fun, but ultimately failed, experiment.

 

[Violentvixen]

I'm reading an essay anthology called What we Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings and it's really fun! I really enjoyed an essay about a group of friends who has a "dumplings of the world" party. I found an article with a link to the original post, it's fun.

 

[Exposition Owl]

I'm reading an essay anthology called What we Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings and it's really fun! I really enjoyed an essay about a group of friends who has a "dumplings of the world" party. I found an article with a link to the original post, it's fun.

This is extremely relevant to my wife’s interests. Thank you!

 

[lincolnic]

I'm reading an essay anthology called What we Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings and it's really fun! I really enjoyed an essay about a group of friends who has a "dumplings of the world" party. I found an article with a link to the original post, it's fun.

Damn, I want to go to that party.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Finished up Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, then went ahead and picked up the sequel (Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick) right away because I guess I'm still in the mood for witty sci-fi action where everything that can possibly go wrong does.

 

[ThornGhost]

Currently about halfway through the collected Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade by Christian Cameron. Tom Swan is an interesting series because they're written as novellas and released for super cheap as ebooks and then collected into broad arcs as full books. Reading them collected means they're very punchy and fun reads because there's always a "climax" of sorts within the next hundred pages or so.

The series is a historical fiction work set in 15th century Europe about a sort of spy/artifact hunter working for a cardinal. Think of it as an early Renaissance Indiana Jones and you're close. Many of the events and characters are historical and Cameron has a real passion for arms and armor as well as technology of the time.

Despite being set in and around a historical conflict between western Europe and Islamic forces, Cameron does a magnificent job of humanizing all sides, introducing both sympathetic and despicable players everywhere Swan goes.

If you are unfamiliar with Cameron, I'd maybe suggest not starting with Tom Swan unless the pitch really appeals to you. My favorite books of his are the "Chivalry" series, set about 100 years before Tom Swan and (maybe?) in the same historical fiction world. The main character from Chivalry is name dropped in Tom Swan, but it is hard to say if it is the same man because he's also a real, if only lightly attributed, person. Chivalry and Tom Swan are very much of a kind, though, and if you like one you'll certainly like the other.

 

[FelixSH]

I read Planet of the Apes, the book that the movie is based on.

At first, I thought this was one of the few times where the movie is better. The writing style is clunky, typically old sci-fi. Very dry, weakly defined characters, you know the stuff. To get the bad out of the way, you know the two main female characters from the movie? Zira (the ape scientist) and Nova (the human woman)? In the book, there is some really weird love-triangle thing going on, where Nova and Zira don't like each other. And how the main character (Ulysse) is into both. I guess the author wanted to talk about how guys are physically drawn to pretty women, but also can be intellectually drawn to creatures who are emotionally/intellectually women, even if they aren't physically (or simply not even human).

It's a really weird subplot, and thankfully, being old sci-fi, not well developed. But every time the book does anything with it, it's really weird.

Aside from that, the book is very different from the movie. Also, fun fact, not only the first movie is based on the book, but also the third (just not quite how you probably think). Generally, the book goes way more into detail about how the ape society works, and has less action. Which is really weird, I hadn't even considered the movie as an action movie (due to how these movies are now), but compared to the book, it totally is.

Spoiler: actual content of the book, spoilers, of course

The book starts, by having a couple use solar sails to just travel through Space for fun. And then, they find a bottle with a message (yes, in Space). And that message is the story, about Ulysse travelling away from Earth, together with a scientist. Ulysse is a reporter.

The start is similar, with them landing on the planet, finding some humans (though they spend a lot more time with them, trying to communicate with them - the first one is Nova, and she is, of course, super-duper attractive), and then being captured by apes.

Then it diverges strongly. I mean, Ulysse and Nova are still captives for some scientists, with Zira taking care of them, and Zaius being her superior (though he is an orang-utan). But instead of whatever the movie was doing, here the apes do experiments. Conditioning, and making them able to do simple tasks. Unlike the movie, Ulysse can't understand the apes, he has to learn the language over some months. Soon, he is able to make it clear to Zira that he is actually smart, and Zira is equally nice like her movie version.

This goes on, until there is a conference, where Zaius (who is barely a character here) wants to show-case how smart Ulysse is, who acts to everyone but Zira, like he is just a pretty smart animal. He uses this to hold a big speech, winning all of society over.

With that, we start what is the basis of the third movie. Ulysse gets clothes, an apartment, and is allowed to move free in ape society. Here, he learns a lot of stuff. He and Cornelius (Ziras husband, also from the movie) are visiting an ancient cave (like the one from the end of the first movie), finding the doll that tells them that there were once humans here.

But aside from that, Nova is pregnant, and the government plans to take the baby away, kill the parents, all that stuff. Generally, people start to get uneasy with Ulysse, and so on.

Ulysse, Nova and the baby (which is shown to grow up as smart as Ulysse) get put on a rocket that is planned for an experiment, but can flee with it. And they travel back to Earth.

They do reach it. But then, we get the ending of the 2001 remake: Apes have developed to be smart, like on the planet they just were on. We cut back to the original ship, with the couple that found the bottle. And learn that they are apes. Despite knowing the movie, this twist actually got me, I thought it was great.

Before fleeing, we learn about the horrible experiments done on humans. One of them seems to recite diary entries, or something, it's really weird and just done, because the author couldn't think of a sensible way. It reads pretty good and disturbing, how a woman describes how her servant gorilla went to meetings at night, and one day demanded that she cleans up, then throwing her out of the bedroom, and then out of her house. Or an animal tamer, who one day got put in the cage by the apes she tamed and from then on had to perform tricks. Or how some scientists tried to inject cancer into an ape, to test a healing method. Except that the apes catch him, and inject him with cancer. Now he is scared, that the healing stuff won't work.

It's a great moment, even though very clumsily done. The humans just get what they did to the apes. It's a pretty harsh critic against the way we treat animals, shown by putting humans in that horrible place.

The book never really explains, why the humans get dumber. One of the diary retellings says that the person starts to feel less intelligent, but that's it. Maybe because they let apes do all the work? It does go into how apes never really got intelligent. They just copied humans. Which is the reason why they are developing so extremely slow, they still only can copy and not think for themselves. And then there are comparisons drawn, to how humans also only copy stuff they don't understand. Like how lawyers just recite texts.

It's a fun idea, but still nonsense, of course. But it's a neat setup for the book.

The book also implies, that Earth and the Ape Planet are different places, and that the development seems to be unavoidable.

In summary, a book with a typical classic sci-fi writing style, including weak characters. But with interesting ideas and a twilight-zone twist ending. Also, some weird, religious overtones, in how the protagonist sometimes thinks he is sent here by god, to free the humans from the apes.

The Statue of Liberty never appears, by the way.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Finished up Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, then went ahead and picked up the sequel (Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick) right away because I guess I'm still in the mood for witty sci-fi action where everything that can possibly go wrong does.

I didn't like the sequel as much as the first one due to a big plot point revolving around a stupid and extremely predictable misunderstanding, but still liked it enough to preorder book 3 which happens to come out in one week. Serendipity!

 

[Violentvixen]

I highly, highly recommend How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Science Fiction but the majority of the book is mundane future projection that's pretty bound in reality. The overall topic is dark (the book tracks humanity coping over time with a global plague after a virus is found by some researchers/archeologists in Antarctica working to fight climate change) but somehow the book mainly comes through as hopeful. There's some really stunning writing in here.

 

[lincolnic]

Just read John Scalzi's new one, Starter Villain. It was fun, though it had some pacing issues (felt like it took half of the book just to get the actual plot in motion). I think it could've stood to be a little longer, honestly!

Tonight I'm going to start Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, after having it recommended by seemingly everyone who reads books. Hoping it's enjoyable.

 

[Dark Medusa]

I DNF Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow about halfway through, so if you end up not liking it as much, know you're not alone!

 

[MCBanjoMike]

For a book that I initially thought I would find irritating, I actually wound up quite liking TomorrowTomorrowTomorrow. I felt like the characters were well-drawn and the author had a real knowledge of/love for videogames.

On lincolnic's urging, I recently read through The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I really enjoyed it, even though it's about as conflict-free a sci-fi novel as I can ever remember reading*. The stakes eventually get a little higher toward the end, but for most of its run it could just as well have been titled Friends in Space. Made for a very comforting read, filled with lots of fun world-building. I'm looking forward to continuing the series at some point!

For now, I'm about a third of the way through All the Light We Cannot See, which is simply astounding so far. Some of the best writing I've seen in a long, long time. It does a great job of handling serious events in a serious manner without getting too bogged down emotionally. For all the grim stuff taking place (it's set during World War II), it still takes the time to appreciate beauty in all its forms, which keeps it from being a complete downer.

*Take this with a grain of salt, because my sci-fi author of choice is Adrian Tchaikovsky, and that's a man who loves to write galaxy-spanning catastrophes.

 

[Behemoth]

I finished Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but I still found it irritating.

On the other, I loved All the Light We Cannot See. This one got a lot of accolades when it came out, and it seems like there was a pretty significant backlash, both generally whenever anything becomes significantly acclaimed/popular, and specifically because some people couldn't get over a rank-and-file Nazi soldier being portrayed sympathetically (I saw this complaint a lot on social media). All that being said, I think it holds up, and like MCBanjoMike said I think it's a great, contemporary example of superlative writing.

 

[Behemoth]

Double post to say that I enjoyed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet well enough; however, I liked the (loosely-connected) sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, quite a bit more. I keep meaning to pick up the other sequels, but too many books; not enough time.