OT: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Thread - SPOILERS Part Three

Surrounded By Ahos

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May 24, 2008
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LET'S GO BOYSSSSS


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TB87

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
May 30, 2018
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Have you guys checked out Terminator Zero? This is the best storytelling in a Terminator property since T2. Freaking awesome stuff man.
 
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TB87

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
May 30, 2018
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Sanderson has probably published an entire bookshelf since 2011. (when GRRM put out the last published Song of Ice and Fire book)

I thought the 1st season of HOTD was pretty good. The 2nd season was a really long trailer for season 3 lol. Far too much table setting for my liking. A slow burn approach is fine if the storytelling is excellent. Season 2 was not that
 
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Rebels57

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Sep 28, 2014
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Have you guys checked out Terminator Zero? This is the best storytelling in a Terminator property since T2. Freaking awesome stuff man.

Not yet but I will now after this glowing endorsement.
 

Surrounded By Ahos

Las Vegas Desert Ducks Official Team Poster
May 24, 2008
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Koko Miami
SBA reading blog time! I've read a bunch of great books this year. My very brief thoughts on my favorites, in no particular order:

Tehanu (Book 4 of Earthsea) was an absolute delight. Probably the 'smallest' story of the series, but it hits just as hard as the first three. Tenar is such a wonderful character. Le Guin was a master.

Speaking of Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness was also fantastic, but not really delightful. The main character is a male on a planet full of people who have no gender most of the time, but are capable of becoming either male of female during the 'mating season', trying to persuade them to join a galactic civilization of other planets. This leads to several misunderstandings, and almost gets the main character killed. Le Guin uses the setting to explore all sorts of stuff, but mainly gender roles and how they shape the world around us. Very interesting read, and very much worth it's place among the all time sci-fi greats.

The Locked Tomb series (Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Nona the Ninth) is a f***ing trip. Each book is wildly different in scope and tone, although it maintains a very meme-y/internet-y sense of humor throughout. The first book starts us out with lesbian necromancers in SPACE, with a group of nobles exploring a sort of haunted mansion in order to become more powerful necromancers before they start getting picked off one by one. It's a neat blend of fantasy and sci-fi, and the goofy humor helps to balance out just how brutal some of the kills are.

Speaking of lesbians and mixing fantasy/sci-fi, the Book of the Ancestor (Red Sister, Grey Sister, Holy Sister) was also a lot of fun. It starts out a bit similar to Harry Potter (a young child discovers they have magic abilities, and they are sent to a school to hone their talent), but with enough significant differences to keep things interesting. All the students are female, as are all the teachers. The potions teacher is actually a pretty cool person and the snobby upper-class antagonist is much more than meets the eye. Also, it starts out with a pretty badass paragraph that sucked me right into the story:

It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.

The Library at Mount Char was super duper extra weird. It's set in a 90s-ish United States, following a family of adopted children who all have supernatural powers thanks to lessons from their abusive adoptive father. One scene involves a man facing down a horde of hundreds of dogs with the aid of two lions. I promise it makes sense in context. You spend most of the book wondering what the hell is going on, then in the last couple chapters everything starts to come together. It's one of those I wish I could read again for the first time.

The Curse of Chalion is a bit more straightforward. It's setting is clearly inspired by medieval Spain, but with a bit more supernatural intervention than real life. The main character is returning home after being betrayed and wrongfully imprisoned following a war. Despite the mistreatment he suffered, he never allows it to poison his disposition. Even after events beyond his control have him face to face with his betrayers, he remains positive. If more people had the moral fiber of Lupe dy Cazaril, this world would be a better place.

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a great sci-fi epic, sort of in the mold of The Expanse. The crew of a spaceship overcomes their differing backgrounds to deal with a galaxy-shaking revelation. It's a fun romp across several planets while several groups attempt to track down the protagonists, with a satisfying ending that leaves you really invested in what comes next.


I'm not 100% sure what I'll read next, right now I'm leaning towards starting either The Black Company or Malazan, but I'm also considering starting the First Law standalones or re-reading Something Wicked This Way Comes, although that could wait a couple weeks.
 

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