Books

[Kugelfisch]

Yeah, all my research tells me this one ain't a good starting point for the series.

It's just odd that it's officially considered the first book. Literally a different universe and no alien lifeforms besides "trees", "wolves" and "whales".

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Maybe some of the other books has a tiny reference to it, but it seems it's just some earlier story that got lumped into the series to boost sales.

[Kugelfisch]

Sure seems like it. Because it's taking place in a different universe that people from this one stranded in its easy to just claim it's part of the whole thing regardless.

[rabidtictac]

I read some science fiction/fantassy stuff recently. Short summary:

The Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky:

One of these "start of a long series" books. Pretty mediocre. The writing was okay but full of the stench of young adult wish fulfillment. Adrian loves insects in real life and so he sperges about bug powers for the entire book. If you don't love bugs then you don't read this. If you do love bugs then read Terra Formars instead. SKIP!

Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky:

Better. It's a complete thought, at least. The writing is solid enough. It's a prison book. This is dying earth fantasy that eventually becomes apocalyptic fantasy. The final known great city of humans undergoes a societal collapse while the hero character has been shuffled off to prison. The bulk of the story is about our main character's past (which led him to the prison) and how he >copes< with living in prison now. Since this is a Tchaikovsky book, there are insect people in it again. It's easier to recommend this story than the other, because at least it's not a 12 book series or whatever da fug. I still don't think it's worth the time.

Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick:

I should mention the prose of all of these books is at least tolerable. It's not shit or anything. I just didn't care for the subject matter. This is another one like Cage of Souls. A bureaucrat from an advanced culture is sent to a world that's kept technologically retarded by legal mandate, to find a hedge wizard accused of stealing something important. This book is a lot of faffing around and exploring ideas. Not so much happens. There's a lot of stuff in here about magic and sex and sexmagic too. When the writer is too horny, it can be a detriment (if you are not writing hentai.) If you, as the writer, have reached the point where you are teaching the reader about how to control the male orgasm and how to come without ejaculation, I think you have gone past the point of no return. So to speak.

Sadly though, the novel just isn't that arousing, despite so much effort towards that direction. The novel isn't much of anything, in my opinion. I wasn't left with much of an impression about it.

Apparently, Michael Swanwick was a fan of Gene Wolfe's. But I don't think this story can hold a candle to Book of the New Sun.

The Phoenix Guards by Steven Brust:

To obtain any enjoyment from this book, you must understand what it is. Steven Brust is a fanboy of Alexandre Dumas. He wanted to create his own satirical take on the Dumas signature writing style and conversational wordplay. So he created a fake writer persona, Paarfi of Roundwood. Paarfi is widely criticized in his fictional universe as a hackfraud who gets paid by the word (as Dumas also was.)

It's essential to understand this information before reading, because the book is deliberately crafted to be infuriating. It's the literary equivalent of being trolled. The author (the fake Paarfi) will take 3 pages to say what 3 sentences could normally. Very little happens in this story, but by design. It's just a bit of fun. There's no great literary merit here, but the author is having so much fun writing this nonsense I couldn't be mad at it. The Phoenix Guards is based upon Dumas' Three Musketeers, specifically. I did find the gimmick wore a little thin by the end. I don't think most people would enjoy getting trolled for an entire book, but I got a few laughs out of it.

[Kugelfisch]

The last one sounds a bit interesting. I would never call Dumas a hack, though.

[rabidtictac]

The last one sounds a bit interesting. I would never call Dumas a hack, though.

No, I wouldn't either. I love Dumas. But this is a pastiche of Dumas. So Brust goes out of his way to set up Paarfi of Roundwood as this controversial author who is largely hated by his (fictional) literary contemporaries.

[wulfenlord]

Guh, I'm dreading my newest purchase.

Lost swedish version of Dracula

A unique version of Bram Stoker's seminal gothic masterpiece Dracula, this novel, from the turn of the nineteenth century, is a very early anti-fascist piece of literature, criticizing the Social Darwinism and scientific racism of the time. Powers of Darkness is also a splendid horror novel twice as long as Stoker’s original.

Now how much of that trailblazer of Modern-day Antifa comes from the new translator, who is also a swedefag having translated the Necronomicon into Norserunes, more than likely having adapted it to modern audiences?

I should be mindful of those moneygrabbing attempts, but I'm also a masochist for those graverobbing spergs. I didn't hate Dacre Stoker's un-earthing of his Great-Uncle (mostly due to it having incorporated Erszebet Butthory as a carpet-munching villainess).

I'll try to survive this garbage and maybe even try the ILost icelandic version of Dracula.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

If it's on Amazon it ain't lost.

[ebin namefag]

I've heard that Icelandic Dorkula isn't that special.