What are you reading now?
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Yes, I'm a huge Scalzi fan. Several of his books are part of a series. @jolly recommended "Old Man's War." which was a real hard sci-fi story, focusing on military aspects of sci-fi. There are at least 4 more books in the series. One of them "Zoe's Tale" tells the same story as its predecessor, but from the viewpoint of a different character - an interesting approach.
He has just completed the final book of a trilogy ("The Collapsing Universe") that I've only read the first book of. I'm going to get the next two and do it in sequence.
"Lock-In" is a standalone novel about a detective who suffers a "lock-in" state because of a viral pandemic. Very creative. It has a sequel, but they're both pretty much standalone.
"Redshirts" is a take on "Star Trek:" What if Star Trek were real, and the characters knew they were part of an act?
"Fuzzy Nation" is, perhaps, the most light-hearted of his books. It has poignant scenes, funny stuff, and snappy, snappy dialog. I loved it.
Well, perhaps "Agent to the Stars" is the most light-hearted. Suppose that you're in an advertising agency, and your boss gives you a very, very unusual client. And you can't say anything about the client - yet. Loved it too.
So, for snappy, fast-paced, clever writing with witty dialog and creative and unusual stories, you can't do better than Scalzi. I owe Jolly for turning me on to him.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@bachophile said in What are you reading now?:
I know all you trumpets will hate me but I’m loving Bolton’s book. Halfway thru.
The reason is not that I’ve become a Bolton fan, he is quite fixated on his agenda.
But he writes so well. It’s such an easy book to read, I can hear him in my head narrating as we go along. He must have documented everything because he has details on almost every conversation and phone call.
anyway, he is not even being vindicative with the Donald. He just describes the disarray. The impulsiveness. The lack of ooordination.
So far the real tragic figure in the book is Kelly. He tried so hard to make some order. Bolton himself seems to have been resigned to getting the hatchet from the first day.
Anyway, strongly recommended to both right and left of the aisle here. It’s Illuminating and very readable. Not like the trashy book fire and fury. This one is much much better. And not trashy or gossipy at all. Very erudite.
Oh and p.s. absolutely no state secrets revealed. That was such an obvious ploy by trump to try to prevent publication. So don’t expect to hear who the mole in the kremlin is.
Nobody ever said the Trump White House is not chaotic or frenzied. I think that is just how the man operates. Nobody ever said Bolton was stupid, but I think most of us can agree he is very hawkish.
No matter who writes them, I've never cared for kiss and tell books. You ride for the brand that hired you.
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
Yes, I'm a huge Scalzi fan. Several of his books are part of a series. @jolly recommended "Old Man's War." which was a real hard sci-fi story, focusing on military aspects of sci-fi. There are at least 4 more books in the series. One of them "Zoe's Tale" tells the same story as its predecessor, but from the viewpoint of a different character - an interesting approach.
He has just completed the final book of a trilogy ("The Collapsing Universe") that I've only read the first book of. I'm going to get the next two and do it in sequence.
"Lock-In" is a standalone novel about a detective who suffers a "lock-in" state because of a viral pandemic. Very creative. It has a sequel, but they're both pretty much standalone.
"Redshirts" is a take on "Star Trek:" What if Star Trek were real, and the characters knew they were part of an act?
"Fuzzy Nation" is, perhaps, the most light-hearted of his books. It has poignant scenes, funny stuff, and snappy, snappy dialog. I loved it.
Well, perhaps "Agent to the Stars" is the most light-hearted. Suppose that you're in an advertising agency, and your boss gives you a very, very unusual client. And you can't say anything about the client - yet. Loved it too.
So, for snappy, fast-paced, clever writing with witty dialog and creative and unusual stories, you can't do better than Scalzi. I owe Jolly for turning me on to him.
If you like the light foreign diplomat to the stars fare, look at the Retief series by Keith Laumer. The early stuff written before his stroke, is the best, as his writing suffered in later years.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame_Retief
Most people know Laumer for his Bolo series of self-aware super-tanks.
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@Catseye3 said in What are you reading now?:
Aqua or Other SciFi Fans:
Found this long-ago bookmarked title: Fuzzy Nation: an extraordinary retelling of the SF classic Little Fuzzy. ZaraCorp holds the right to extract unlimited resources from the verdant planet Zarathustra—as long as the planet is certifiably free of native sentients. So when an outback prospector discovers a species of small, appealing bipeds who might well turn out to be intelligent, language-using beings, it's a race to stop the corporation from "eliminating the problem," which is to say, eliminating the Fuzzies—wide-eyed and ridiculously cute small, and furry—who are as much people as we are.
It's written by John Scalzi. George, am I correct that you're a fan of his?
Anyway, do y'all know this book? Is it a thing? Is it good?
It's a good modernization of a classic, yeah.
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@Catseye3 said in What are you reading now?:
Another Q for the SciFi folk. Do y'all know of the writer Greig Beck? His book Primordia? Any good?
hahah get the hell out of here! He visited my school during my Master's! Nice guy and an absolute nerd. Ironically I haven't read any of his stuff, though.
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Fat lot of good y'all are.
Here's the Amazon blurb: "Ben Cartwright, former soldier, home to mourn the loss of his father stumbles upon cryptic letters from the past between the author, Arthur Conan Doyle and his great, great grandfather who vanished while exploring the Amazon jungle in 1908.
Amazingly, these letters lead Ben to believe that his ancestor’s expedition was the basis for Doyle’s fantastical tale of a lost world inhabited by long extinct creatures. As Ben digs some more he finds clues to the whereabouts of a lost notebook that might contain a map to a place that is home to creatures that would rewrite everything known about history, biology and evolution.
But other parties now know about the notebook, and will do anything to obtain it. For Ben and his friends, it becomes a race against time and against ruthless rivals.
In the remotest corners of Venezuela, along winding river trails known only to lost tribes, and through near impenetrable jungle, Ben and his novice team find a forbidden place more terrifying and dangerous than anything they could ever have imagined."
Is naming the protagonist after the Ponderosa Daddy a nerdy thing to do?
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@Horace said in What are you reading now?:
Is that the one with the background atmospheric sound? It's pretty good but they ran out of money in the production and eventually all the characters are voiced by the main narrator.
Yep that's it. Shame about that, however. Nevertheless I'll enjoy.
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@Horace said in What are you reading now?:
Is that the one with the background atmospheric sound? It's pretty good but they ran out of money in the production and eventually all the characters are voiced by the main narrator.
Really? Or is that some inside joke I’m missing?
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This book is being offered for $1.99 -- marked down from $18.99!!!!!
It is American Heritage History of the Confident Years: 1866-1914 by Francis Russell: "Here . . . is the vivid story of the confident years - those days of America's exuberant growth in population, industry, and world prestige - from the end of the Civil War to the outbreak of World War I." It seems an inspired choice for these gloomy anxiety-ridden times.
I bought it, of course. A $19 book for a buck-99? Are you kidding me?
I recommend you read at least the opening paragraph in the "Look Inside".
I have a feeling that this book will have a salutary effect on my sore heart.
Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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@Catseye3 thanks for the recommendation. Looks like an iterating book
