Paging darsy & hard sci-fi buffs

AOL, I gave up after about 1/3 of the book.

 

Avoid. Boring, repetitive and banal.

Phil

 

And that is just the first book in the series.

No. 2 is worse.(I only got halfway through it.)

Perdido Street Station took a year to finish, and I no longer remember
why I bothered.

 

Agree about Reynolds - I'd recommend them all, but that was just the
one I'd read most recently.

The problem I have with Hamilton is that, whilst he can tell a great
yarn, he can't really write English very well.

 

His new one is quite good. But (as you say) - it's sometimes quite
difficult to work out what he is *actually* trying to say..

I've read all the Richard Morgan books too - all very good (very
violent too) and quite dark.

Phil.

 

I disagree thay only two of McLeod's books are "up to scratch".

 

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:41:11 -0000, "Simian"

sci-fi (don't read that much hard sci-fi any more)

I've read the first, which was effectively a series of novellas from
different viewpoints. Is the seond more of the same?

It was all right. Apart from Neal Stephenson and Iain M Banks I'm not
big on sci fi.

 

I'll look out for that then, ta.

Gee, thanks for sharing the joy. I'm trying to think what else I still
own from back then. A new thread beckons.

I don't think I read this link here, 'why we don't love sci-fi'

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2961480.ece

This gets a bit darsy in places but is interesting if you can put up
with the style. Much like the marmoset himself...

http://www.johnclute.co.uk/word/?p=15

 

Christ-on-a-bike!

Something in a darsy/Simian book thread that a) I've actually heard of,
b) actually read and c) just taken down to the charity shop with a load
of other paperbacks.

 

Typical, just as I decide to get the ones I've not read!

 

I liked all of the "Fall Revolution" series with the exception of "The
Sky Road".

 

see, I thought those were shite (well, I only read the first two).

 

I preferred Endymion/Rise Of Endymion to the Hyperion Cantos.

 

<AOL>

Too disconnected and random. Not enough in-depth characterisation (and
not enough technology to make up for the lack). A good idea wasted.

Phil.

 

Christ. 28 years ago I hadn't even managed Ladybird 1a. The activities
of Peter, Jane and Pat were still unknown to me.

 

Youi think you've got problems. I know exactly how old my first copy
of The Hobbit is, as I was presented with it at the end of a school
year, when they still did things like that. 39 years ago.

 

I see a pattern forming here.

 

I didn't read the hobbit until I was in my 30's which was 20 something
years ago and I don't have a copy of it. I do though have the three
volumes in hardback and it has been nearly 45 years since I first read
them. And about 20 since I last did it as well.

 

I first read the LoTR when aged 11 (about 1976) but didn't read The
Hobbit until much later (in my 20's).

I'm not greatly a fan of The Hobbit - clearly a kids book. I tend more
to the Silmarillion end of the Tolkien spectrum.

Phil.

 

I liked bits of The Cassini Division, but not enough to seek out other books
in the series.