"What are you reading?" thread.

Dirona

Dirona

Dirona said:
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
(incomplete review, as I'm on ~pg 350 of 800 or so, but I'm at a "part" boundary, so this seemed like a good time)

First off, a shout-out to @ThatNickGuy who picked this up (and the rest of the trilogy!) for Secret Santa for me this year.

I have really been enjoying this book. It's not a super swift read, but it's quicker than the Brandon Sanderson novel I've been working on for months.
The world-building is just wonderful, a joy to read, and really top-notch. It's full and rich without feeling over-drawn or ham-fisted. And there's no multi-page long descriptions of meals or locations! But there's still enough detail to get a vivid and living world across. I want to learn more about this world, how it works, and even (for probably the first time ever) the politics of it all. It's genuinely just really good and masterfully done.
The characters also feel surprisingly fully-fleshed. Even the ones I absolutely loathe and want to kick in the nuts. Their behaviours seem internally consistent and reasonable from their perspectives, even if they do tend to the over-the-top dramatics. Though I understand the need to the larger-than-life reactions and emotions - this is a book after all, and if everyone behaved well, there would be much less of a plot. And the characters are varied. I can tell them apart with relative ease. My only beef is that it took almost 100 pages to be introduced to the first woman! At this point, I think we've managed to cross the very low bar that is the Bechdel Test, but it's not by much.
Plot-wise, I'm interested to see where it all goes, I want to see these characters meet and interact, and I really want to see more of this world.

I'm getting The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Tamora Pierce's Alanna vibes, and this is so not a complaint! These were some of my absolute favourite books as a kid/tween, and this kind of feels like a grown-up version of those books, with it's own twist of course.

On the whole I can't believe I've only just started reading this series. This first book apparently came out in 1998!! How have I been sleeping on this?!

8.5 or 9/10
Outstanding. And thanks again Nick!
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I finished this first book just before New Years, but haven't had time to write up anything.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
(complete review)

While I think the first half of the book is stronger than the back half, I think that is mainly due to the excellence in worldbuilding and there being less of a need for such in the later half. While in the first half we're introduced to the characters, the second half is where they (rather than the world) take center-stage.

Each of the characters remain distinct and interesting in their own right, and I still want to find out what happens to each of them (even the ones who I still want to kick). The situations that they find themselves in are interesting, varied, and feel at home in this world that Hobb has built.

Still a solid 8.5/10.
Fantastic, and would definitely recommend.

Thanks again to @ThatNickGuy for the Secret Santa present. I can't wait to start on the next in the series!
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Dirona said:
I finished this first book just before New Years, but haven't had time to write up anything.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
(complete review)

While I think the first half of the book is stronger than the back half, I think that is mainly due to the excellence in worldbuilding and there being less of a need for such in the later half. While in the first half we're introduced to the characters, the second half is where they (rather than the world) take center-stage.

Each of the characters remain distinct and interesting in their own right, and I still want to find out what happens to each of them (even the ones who I still want to kick). The situations that they find themselves in are interesting, varied, and feel at home in this world that Hobb has built.

Still a solid 8.5/10.
Fantastic, and would definitely recommend.

Thanks again to @ThatNickGuy for the Secret Santa present. I can't wait to start on the next in the series!
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It's been years since I read it, but I find the later books are stronger than the first. I recall Mad Ship, Book Two, being a particular favorite. I can't recall why, just that I remember really digging it.

I'm so glad you're enjoying the series so far! :)
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
I’m trying to read “The 3 Body Problem”, I really am. But god DAMN is this a confusing and convoluted book. I’ve tried a few times and I’m farther along than I’ve ever been but it’s just so dull or confusing. I have no idea who most of these people are, I can’t understand some of their motivations, and I’m just exhausted trying to get through it.
 
Kovac

Kovac

Dave said:
I’m trying to read “The 3 Body Problem”, I really am. But god DAMN is this a confusing and convoluted book. I’ve tried a few times and I’m farther along than I’ve ever been but it’s just so dull or confusing. I have no idea who most of these people are, I can’t understand some of their motivations, and I’m just exhausted trying to get through it.
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I had the same problem with the first book.
By the end I was glad to have read it because the ideas and story are fascinating but I didn't find the characters to be all that easy to connect with.
I had an easier time with the following books.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Just dropping this here for @Dave since it might be right up his alley.

Comedy Book
How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work
In Comedy Book, Jesse David Fox—the country’s most definitive voice in comedy criticism and someone who, in his own words, enjoys comedy “maybe more than anyone on this planet”—tackles everything you need to know about comedy, an art form that has been under-considered throughout its history, even as it has ascended as a cultural force.
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A co-worker recommended it to me as an in-depth analysis of jokes/routines and Comedy in general, a complete and total breakdown and examination of Comedy as a legit art form.

--Patrick
 
MindDetective

MindDetective

I just finished the Three Body Problem audiobook. This is an award-winning, best-selling novel and adapted into TWO television series that came out a month apart. My thoughts on it are all over the place. It reminds me of the high-concept SF of Asimov from 70 years ago in a lot of ways. The characters are cardboard cutouts (except maybe one) that couldn't be rescued by the narrator (who did fine). The plot jumps around a bit to unfold the mystery and it feels a bit disconnected at times. Some of the concepts are interesting and some are pretty weird (but maybe also interesting?) So I am left appreciating it for the ambitious, high SF concepts but feeling like it was a bit of a slog to get through. Some of this is due to the translation, no doubt. But I think the author is also just more cerebral and less concerned with his individual characters and who they are. They serve the plot and little else. By the end, I had trouble imagining how some of it would be translated to the screen. It turns out, after 1.5 episodes, the high-concept SF stuff is being portrayed mostly in a faithful way and the characters are being given more life than the novel depicted.

;tldr If you liked some of the high-concept SF of the Asimov era, I recommend it. If you like a more character-focused story, this will not satisfy you at all.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Did you just read the first book or the trilogy?
I've been told your criticism is fairly common for the first book and these things gets better in the later books.

I have them on my TBR pile, but...
 
MindDetective

MindDetective

Bubble181 said:
Did you just read the first book or the trilogy?
I've been told your criticism is fairly common for the first book and these things gets better in the later books.

I have them on my TBR pile, but...
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Just the first one I don't think I want to try the remaining ones but maybe someday.
 
Vrii

Vrii

For what it's worth, the second book is the one that really stuck with me. Even then though, the takeaway was the ideas rather than the characters, who continue to exist to advance the plot and explore ideas rather than to act like believable people experiencing growth and change.
 
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