What Book Are You Currently Reading? - Page 213

PsYkOoOoO · 01-01-2013, 12:54 AM

Decided to start reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. He is one of the big three in science fiction, so I thought I should give him a shot. Never read any of his works before. So far, I am having a slightly rough time getting used to the way the characters are talking, and the fact that they are mixing Russian, English and Cantonese isn't making things easier. Then again, I am having a better time than Neuromancer in terms of terminologies, so I suppose I will press on and see how it goes.

**JBond** · 01-01-2013, 01:54 AM

Heinlein's a bit hit and miss with me, but I really liked Moon.

MovieBuff801 · 01-01-2013, 07:21 PM

Finished Sapphire Blue, moving onto Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-01-2013, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond

Heinlein's a bit hit and miss with me, but I really liked Moon.

I got into the swing of things and I'm really liking it right now! I was kind of worried initially, though, that it would turn out to be yet another Neuromancer.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-06-2013, 09:44 PM

Just finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I can't say that I am a big fan of it, but I did finish the book so, I guess that says something. I'm happy to have exposed myself to one of the big threes in science fiction, but I can't say that Heinlein is my favorite. I can totally see how Heinlein is a SCIENCE writer while Clarke is a SCIENCE FICTION writer. I much prefer Clarke's works, the ones I've read anyway.

Next, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. I'm 30 odd pages in and am already loving it. I like how he doesn't present complex ideas with complex words, and his futuristic worlds are oftentimes not boggled down by futuristic terminologies, which can be rather frustrating to read as a reader.

**JBond** · 01-07-2013, 01:11 AM

He's old school.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-07-2013, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond

He's old school.

I do feel that, if anybody wants to start a revolution, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a great step-by-step guide though. If you are into the whole political science aspect of SCIENCE FICTION, then that's probably a great book. I was half expecting Mike to become too smart for the protagonist to handle, and eventually take over like Hal. Oh well, I suppose I was expecting too much dramatization.

Anyone else thought that this movie is less quotable? Quotability has always been a hallmark of Tarantino movies.

Also, someone complained about the music selection. I did notice the first rap song used, but I enjoyed its usage during the shootout scene.

MovieBuff801 · 01-08-2013, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsYkOoOoO

Anyone else thought that this movie is less quotable? Quotability has always been a hallmark of Tarantino movies.

Also, someone complained about the music selection. I did notice the first rap song used, but I enjoyed its usage during the shootout scene.

Um...wrong thread.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-08-2013, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MovieBuff801

Um...wrong thread.

Oh! Weird, why did that appear here. HELLO, SENILITY.

IanTheCool · 01-08-2013, 07:00 PM

Hyperion is pretty awesome so far.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-08-2013, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanTheCool

Hyperion is pretty awesome so far.

Do you also have The Fall of Hyperion on hand? Let me know how that's like. I have Hyperion on my desk right now, waiting to be read. I don't know if I should get TFOH just yet.

FranklinTard · 01-08-2013, 09:08 PM

Hyperion is very enjoyable. Reading Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.

**JBond** · 01-08-2013, 09:57 PM

Hyperion is like candy.

morpheus1987 · 01-09-2013, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FranklinTard

finished john dies at the end, but it wasn't that great... i mean it was entertaining i guess, but over hyped.

I'm about halfway through it right now...so far I agree completely. It's decent, but certainly not anything special.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-09-2013, 11:24 AM

Just finished Childhood's End. No one told me that the book is supposed to be this... depressing. OK, wrong word, but I don't know. Overmind is an *******.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-09-2013, 09:10 PM

Finished Childhood's End, moving on to Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Seems like a lot of us are reading the same book at the same time.

What is the treeship? Is it a tree, or a tree that is a ship? Or a ship that looks like a tree?

**JBond** · 01-09-2013, 09:22 PM

Think of it as a ship, if it helps.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-09-2013, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond

Think of it as a ship, if it helps.

So it's a ship that looks like a tree. How's the tree surviving in space. I'm not nit-picking. I just want to visualize this ship that I am reading about. And the treeship is 1 kilometre long! Wow!

**JBond** · 01-09-2013, 09:33 PM

Imagine it however you want. I imagined a horizontal tree with people walking around on branches like in Fellowship of the Ring but with an invisible forcefield, even though that's pretty ridiculous.

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

FranklinTard · 01-09-2013, 09:45 PM

See that tree is nowhere near as big as the one I imagine, I also see it as horizontal but enormous, with boughs able to be hollowed out for rooms all over the place, and that tree is thequintessential reason it wouldn't work as live action, has to be animated.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-09-2013, 09:52 PM

I kinda saw it the same way as JBond as well. A big, giant tree flying horizontally. Which doesn't make sense but, isn't this the 29th century? I guess things don't make sense in a few centuries from now.

**JBond** · 01-09-2013, 10:15 PM

Speaking of live action, I checked the status on imdb recently and no one's attached to it anymore. :/

Justin · 01-09-2013, 11:02 PM

"Drood" by Dan Simmons

IanTheCool · 01-10-2013, 10:32 AM

Beyond the Wall. Its a collection of essays written about the Ice and Fire series.

PsYkOoOoO · 01-13-2013, 01:14 AM

I am a little more than halfway through Hyperion right now (almost done with the Scholar's Tale). Shrike appearances so far have been pretty sporadic and unpredictable. We don't really know its motives, how it is doing the things he is doing (save for the manipulation of time), and how it all ties together. I understand that this will not have a resolution by the end of this book, but I am wondering if we will get at least some kinda answers, no matter how abstract, by the end of Fall of Hyperion?

I am asking because, at this point, I am reading the stories of various characters and their experiences with Hyperion/Shrike. The stories don't seem to have a strong connection with one another other than the planet and Shrike itself. It'd be really disheartening if nothing gets resolved in Fall of Hyperion.

01-01-2013, 12:54 AM	#5301
PsYkOoOoO Exceptionally Normal Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Singapore. Posts: 22,411	Decided to start reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. He is one of the big three in science fiction, so I thought I should give him a shot. Never read any of his works before. So far, I am having a slightly rough time getting used to the way the characters are talking, and the fact that they are mixing Russian, English and Cantonese isn't making things easier. Then again, I am having a better time than Neuromancer in terms of terminologies, so I suppose I will press on and see how it goes. __________________ W.

01-01-2013, 01:54 AM	#5302
JBond Feed me Join Date: May 2000 Location: SR388 Posts: 67,498	Heinlein's a bit hit and miss with me, but I really liked Moon. __________________ The due date for Round 135 of the CS Film Club is Monday, May 20th, 2013. 59 out of 64 Hugo Award winners completed. "Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1" - Doomsday

01-01-2013, 07:21 PM	#5303
MovieBuff801 Fringe Division Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Walter's Lab Posts: 10,882	Finished Sapphire Blue, moving onto Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith. __________________ AFI Top 100 Movies (1998) Seen: 67 out of 100

01-06-2013, 09:44 PM	#5305
PsYkOoOoO Exceptionally Normal Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Singapore. Posts: 22,411	Just finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I can't say that I am a big fan of it, but I did finish the book so, I guess that says something. I'm happy to have exposed myself to one of the big threes in science fiction, but I can't say that Heinlein is my favorite. I can totally see how Heinlein is a SCIENCE writer while Clarke is a SCIENCE FICTION writer. I much prefer Clarke's works, the ones I've read anyway. Next, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. I'm 30 odd pages in and am already loving it. I like how he doesn't present complex ideas with complex words, and his futuristic worlds are oftentimes not boggled down by futuristic terminologies, which can be rather frustrating to read as a reader. __________________ W.

01-07-2013, 01:11 AM	#5306
JBond Feed me Join Date: May 2000 Location: SR388 Posts: 67,498	He's old school. __________________ The due date for Round 135 of the CS Film Club is Monday, May 20th, 2013. 59 out of 64 Hugo Award winners completed. "Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1" - Doomsday

01-08-2013, 07:00 PM	#5310
IanTheCool Executive Lego Producer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 13,390	Hyperion is pretty awesome so far.

01-08-2013, 09:08 PM	#5312
FranklinTard Damn,ThatsAColdAssHonkey Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 15,725	Hyperion is very enjoyable. Reading Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. __________________ Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed. -Herman Melville (1819 - 1891)

01-08-2013, 09:57 PM	#5313
JBond Feed me Join Date: May 2000 Location: SR388 Posts: 67,498	Hyperion is like candy. __________________ The due date for Round 135 of the CS Film Club is Monday, May 20th, 2013. 59 out of 64 Hugo Award winners completed. "Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1" - Doomsday

01-09-2013, 11:24 AM	#5315
PsYkOoOoO Exceptionally Normal Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Singapore. Posts: 22,411	Just finished Childhood's End. No one told me that the book is supposed to be this... depressing. OK, wrong word, but I don't know. Overmind is an *******. __________________ W.

01-09-2013, 09:10 PM	#5316
PsYkOoOoO Exceptionally Normal Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Singapore. Posts: 22,411	Finished Childhood's End, moving on to Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Seems like a lot of us are reading the same book at the same time. What is the treeship? Is it a tree, or a tree that is a ship? Or a ship that looks like a tree? __________________ W.

01-09-2013, 09:22 PM	#5317
JBond Feed me Join Date: May 2000 Location: SR388 Posts: 67,498	Think of it as a ship, if it helps. __________________ The due date for Round 135 of the CS Film Club is Monday, May 20th, 2013. 59 out of 64 Hugo Award winners completed. "Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1" - Doomsday

01-09-2013, 09:33 PM	#5319
JBond Feed me Join Date: May 2000 Location: SR388 Posts: 67,498	Imagine it however you want. I imagined a horizontal tree with people walking around on branches like in Fellowship of the Ring but with an invisible forcefield, even though that's pretty ridiculous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasill __________________ The due date for Round 135 of the CS Film Club is Monday, May 20th, 2013. 59 out of 64 Hugo Award winners completed. "Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1" - Doomsday

01-09-2013, 09:45 PM	#5320
FranklinTard Damn,ThatsAColdAssHonkey Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 15,725	See that tree is nowhere near as big as the one I imagine, I also see it as horizontal but enormous, with boughs able to be hollowed out for rooms all over the place, and that tree is thequintessential reason it wouldn't work as live action, has to be animated. __________________ Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed. -Herman Melville (1819 - 1891)

01-09-2013, 09:52 PM	#5321
PsYkOoOoO Exceptionally Normal Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Singapore. Posts: 22,411	I kinda saw it the same way as JBond as well. A big, giant tree flying horizontally. Which doesn't make sense but, isn't this the 29th century? I guess things don't make sense in a few centuries from now. __________________ W.

01-09-2013, 10:15 PM	#5322
JBond Feed me Join Date: May 2000 Location: SR388 Posts: 67,498	Speaking of live action, I checked the status on imdb recently and no one's attached to it anymore. :/ __________________ The due date for Round 135 of the CS Film Club is Monday, May 20th, 2013. 59 out of 64 Hugo Award winners completed. "Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1" - Doomsday

01-09-2013, 11:02 PM	#5323
Justin Executive Producer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 11,896	"Drood" by Dan Simmons

01-10-2013, 10:32 AM	#5324
IanTheCool Executive Lego Producer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 13,390	Beyond the Wall. Its a collection of essays written about the Ice and Fire series.

01-13-2013, 01:14 AM	#5325
PsYkOoOoO Exceptionally Normal Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Singapore. Posts: 22,411	I am a little more than halfway through Hyperion right now (almost done with the Scholar's Tale). Shrike appearances so far have been pretty sporadic and unpredictable. We don't really know its motives, how it is doing the things he is doing (save for the manipulation of time), and how it all ties together. I understand that this will not have a resolution by the end of this book, but I am wondering if we will get at least some kinda answers, no matter how abstract, by the end of Fall of Hyperion? I am asking because, at this point, I am reading the stories of various characters and their experiences with Hyperion/Shrike. The stories don't seem to have a strong connection with one another other than the planet and Shrike itself. It'd be really disheartening if nothing gets resolved in Fall of Hyperion. __________________ W. Last edited by PsYkOoOoO; 01-13-2013 at 01:18 AM.