[NGTM-1R]

...Oh. Yeah, there is no statute of limitations on that.

Nobody else had.

[AdmiralRalwood]

Gotta agree though. The first one was good, the second was decent, the third was meh, and the fourth was rubbish.

Interesting. I've read the first three and liked them very much. I wonder if I shouldn't get the fourth. I'd forgotten about it to be honest.

Get out.

[Lorric]

Gotta agree though. The first one was good, the second was decent, the third was meh, and the fourth was rubbish.

Interesting. I've read the first three and liked them very much. I wonder if I shouldn't get the fourth. I'd forgotten about it to be honest.

Get out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjectivity

[Beskargam]

In my opinion he ran out of ideas. The third and fourth books pretty much coast on the momentum of the first two (mainly the first). What I mean by his writing style changes was, hmm how to to describe this, he got more "macro" and less "micro". He stopped describing little details and how things happened and instead just said " and x happened". Stopped writing the ancient language out, stopped writing conversations out, stopped writing the more intricate bits of magic out. The rest of my dislike for the books would give spoilers

e: oh and he used foreshadowing way to much, hence predictability

[Lorric]

Heh, this has made me all confused now. Part of me wants to buy the last book. It's dirt cheap now and gets good reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritance-Book-Four-cycle/dp/0552560243/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376020253&sr=1-1&keywords=eragon+inheritance

I enjoyed the first three, maybe I'll enjoy the last one too, or at least find it passable.

Perhaps I should re-read them, all three of them back to back to back. I need something to read right now. See if I still like them and want to see how it all ends.

[AtomicClucker]

Had to read "Trust the Process" and "The Magic of Reality."

I burnt the "The Magic of Reality." in spite and will be making a tribute to Magritte's famous pipe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MagrittePipe.jpg

However, I'm getting this little son of gun in the mail: http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Age-Science-Mathematics-Skepticism/dp/0674050134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376020319&sr=8-1&keywords=Philosophy+in+an+Age+of+Science.

And these little babies too: http://www.amazon.com/Rome-The-Complete-Series-Blu-ray/dp/B0028RXXFC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1376020359&sr=8-3&keywords=Rome and this: http://www.amazon.com/History-Rome-Down-Reign-Constantine/dp/0312383959/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376020407&sr=8-2&keywords=A+History+of+Rome

[The E]

Rereading Richard Morgan's Market Forces.

Somewhat ridiculous premise, but what a ride.

[watsisname]

Went to bookshop hoping to find new Kim Robinson books.
All they had was Red Mars tril. and 2312.
Already read Red Mars tril.
Remembered somebody saying 2312 was meh.
Bought it anyway. :V
*****es be crazy, drinking alien mind goo, trippin' balls, hoppin' round Mercury and starin' at the sun.
**** yeah?
**** yeah.

[perihelion]

Working my way through Hugh Howey's "Wool."  I'm a little more than half-way through, and I'm enjoying it so far.  Nothing particularly, "Wow!  I never thought of that before!" but it is good brain candy.  I'm particularly enjoying the character study.  The indecision of so many of the characters and the regret for missed opportunities that inevitably follows- that chord resonates pretty strongly with me.

Anyone else read Howey's work?  No spoilers, just looking for a sense of relative quality.

[StarSlayer]

Wrapped Up:

Frank Herbert's Chapterhouse: Dune

John Scalzi's Redshirts

Picking Away At:

Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe

[Rodo]

Half way through The use of weapons from Banks.

[qazwsx]

Half way through The use of weapons from Banks.

[StarSlayer]

Wrapped Up:

Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe

Starting:

Poul Anderson's Tau Zero


Ivanhoe was fairly interesting if historically inaccurate.  It was also obvious that Scott was trying to highlight the antisemitism of the age and barbaric treatment of Jews by Christians, but still managed to make most of his Jewish characters  hilarious stereotypes.

[LordMelvin]

Wrapped Up:

John Scalzi's Redshirts

I loved that one. Freaking hilarious.

I'm currently just past the (current, she's still writing) halfway point in C.J. Cherry's Foreigner series. I'm liking it (obviously, or I'd have stopped after the first book) in no small part because it's interesting to see SF that actually deals with the inherent issues of cultural differences, instead of having aliens that are either 'human with different ears' or 'ineffable energy being' and handwaving the whole translation thing.

[StarSlayer]

Wrapped Up:

Poul Anderson's Tau Zero

Starting:

Arthur C. Clarke's Songs of Distant Earth

Tau Zero was very interesting, I tried it out after seeing it mentioned on Atomic Rockets.

[The E]

Songs of distant Earth is ... interesting. I remember reading it years ago, but finding it somewhat troubling in retrospect; The idea that you could breed war and religion out of human beings by not telling them about it is far too close to atheist wish-fulfillment for my tastes.

I'm currently starting on Cryptonomicon again. Seems like a topical book once more.

[Phantom Hoover]

Consider Phlebas

i hope you read player of games first!

[Luis Dias]

Those are polar opposites in terms of mood.

[StarSlayer]

Songs of distant Earth is ... interesting. I remember reading it years ago, but finding it somewhat troubling in retrospect; The idea that you could breed war and religion out of human beings by not telling them about it is far too close to atheist wish-fulfillment for my tastes.

I only just started it out to be honest.  I don't know about "breed out" but I suppose if you started civilization clean slate with no prior knowledge of religions, provided a justice system/set of laws, and scientific answers for the big questions then I could see it not easily developing.  Hereditary influence, providing order and answering the big questions I tend to think are the major pillars that develop and perpetuate religious organizations.

[The E]

I only just started it out to be honest.  I don't know about "breed out" but I suppose if you started civilization clean slate with no prior knowledge of religions, provided a justice system/set of laws, and scientific answers for the big questions then I could see it not easily developing.  Hereditary influence, providing order and answering the big questions I tend to think are the major pillars that develop and perpetuate religious organizations.

That's what I take issue with, scientific knowledge is worthless without the scientific method, and functionally indistinguishable from religion. It also requires the population of the colony to just accept what they're told, something I can't quite wrap my head around when it goes over several generations.