ThunderPeel2001

Books, books, books...

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I've just started Neil Gaiman's American Gods in anticipation of the tv adap, and am enjoying it very much so far even though barely anything has happened. (Zero spoilers please.)

Cool! I did not know a TV adaption was in the works. Completely coincidentally, I actually ordered this book yesterday. Looking forward to it!

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Yeah, until very recently it was going to be a film, but that seems to have been superceded:

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Playtone is currently looking at six seasons of ten episodes for the series, with each season's budget being in the ballpark $35 million to $40 million range. "We'll do justice to the awe-inspiring power of divine beings," producer Gary Goetzman shared. "We’ll be doing more effects than have been done on television."

American Gods is expected to premiere in 2013.

http://tvovermind.zap2it.com/cable/hbo/american-gods/hbo-adaptation-neil-gaimans-american-gods-seasons/61495

100 Bullets is also getting adapted, which is why I'm catching up with it. Adaps often motivate my reading choices!

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Wow, that's. . .terrifying news. I really enjoyed American Gods, despite a problem or two within the story, and I'm not sure how well one could do a TV series. A movie, sure. Hmm. . .we'll see, as always.

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Wow, that's. . .terrifying news. I really enjoyed American Gods, despite a problem or two within the story, and I'm not sure how well one could do a TV series. A movie, sure. Hmm. . .we'll see, as always.

Agreed, I'm not sure the arc of American Gods is long enough for a TV series. This prompts me to wonder whether it will actually be an adaptation of the book or more of a look at the universe of American Gods, a series chronicling the lives of the gods and the mortals who interact with them? Or perhaps the first season will be the book and then they intend to push it on from there, but even one season seems long for that story.

Also, I'm not too impressed by the special effects budget quote. Sure, there are some crazy things that happen in that book, but when I think of American Gods the first thoughts that come to my mind has nothing to do with action scenes or flashy supernatural powers.

Actually, most of the book is about the gods being low key and finding their new place in society, if I remember rightly.

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They want to (immense spoiler if you haven't read it)

make Odin's head explode really well

.

Again, we'll see, and both of your ideas could be possible, but I have. . .low expectations.

(Then again, I had low expectations for HBOs GoT to be any good and I was utterly riveted by that, so. . .)

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A nice miniseries with four episodes would fit the book well IMO. Six seasons is laughable.

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I don't mind seeing an expanded version of American Gods. I liked the book, but I found the world in it more interesting than the actual plot.

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I am reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and having a boring time with it. I was on the cusp of closing this book forever, about the hundred-page mark, when finally something remotely interesting suddenly happened. This is a bother, as I have to read on now.

I honestly don't know how a writer could have taken such an interesting period (London in 1807, the Napoleonic wars) and such an interesting concept (magic is real, but forgotten, yet there are a few gentlemen that strive to reintroduce it) and fashion such an utterly boring story with it. It's 1000 (not so dense) pages long and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it turned out that 2/3rds of that could've (and should've) been cut. I may be spoiled by Tolstoy, but this shit really doesn't do it for me anymore.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and the case of the missing editor.

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I am reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and having a boring time with it. I was on the cusp of closing this book forever, about the hundred-page mark, when finally something remotely interesting suddenly happened. This is a bother, as I have to read on now.

I honestly don't know how a writer could have taken such an interesting period (London in 1807, the Napoleonic wars) and such an interesting concept (magic is real, but forgotten, yet there are a few gentlemen that strive to reintroduce it) and fashion such an utterly boring story with it. It's 1000 (not so dense) pages long and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it turned out that 2/3rds of that could've (and should've) been cut. I may be spoiled by Tolstoy, but this shit really doesn't do it for me anymore.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and the case of the missing editor.

Ha! It's funny that you didn't have any problems with Moby Dick, but you think Jonathan Strange is slow going... I think they're the same in that you've got to find a way to enjoy the atmosphere. For me I thought that JS captured that pre-winter feeling here in London very well, but it is slow, for sure.

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It's not so much the slowness as the lack of direction. On the other hand, I may have tolerated Moby Dick more because I knew where the story was going and that my time and investment would be well worth it. So, you seem to have liked it. Does it get remarkably better as the book goes on?

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It's not so much the slowness as the lack of direction. On the other hand, I may have tolerated Moby Dick more because I knew where the story was going and that my time and investment would be well worth it. So, you seem to have liked it. Does it get remarkably better as the book goes on?

It does pick up pace, and the last "book" is pretty much a huge ending. I did enjoy the atmosphere a lot, though, so I was probably quite forgiving.

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I am reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and having a boring time with it. I was on the cusp of closing this book forever, about the hundred-page mark, when finally something remotely interesting suddenly happened. This is a bother, as I have to read on now.

I honestly don't know how a writer could have taken such an interesting period (London in 1807, the Napoleonic wars) and such an interesting concept (magic is real, but forgotten, yet there are a few gentlemen that strive to reintroduce it) and fashion such an utterly boring story with it. It's 1000 (not so dense) pages long and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it turned out that 2/3rds of that could've (and should've) been cut. I may be spoiled by Tolstoy, but this shit really doesn't do it for me anymore.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and the case of the missing editor.

Huh, I can't even remember it being slow. Thank you for reminding me of the book, though, I should check out if the author has written more books!

EDIT: She hasn't.

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Hey, I have a question. I just started reading Saturn's Children because I'd just finished a rather heavy book and wanted something lighter. This seemed to fit the bill:

saturns-children.jpg

Interestingly, this book came out in 2008, not in 1998 as the cover might suggest. I'm quite sure I bought it because someone here recommended it. I read a couple of chapters and, after the sequence where the main character is given sex to by a space gondola ("Ooh, that's a big colon you've got!") I have to ask: what is this? Is this a good book?

saturns-children.jpg

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No, then there'd be a chrome dragon or chrome orc on it. This clearly uses color. It's a bumper for an anime DVD publisher.

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Also, I love the blurbs on books. Do fantasy books still hail every single new entry in the genre as "...the next Tolkien!"? Because that shit is hilarious.

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Do fantasy books still hail every single new entry in the genre as "...the next Tolkien!"?

No!

. . .Yes. :getmecoat

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Finished A Feast for Crows. It wasn't the page-turner A Storm of Swords was, but it was good. Very addictive in parts. Hardly as bad as some people make it out to be.

Loved all the character development, and a few surprising plot-twists.

So far, Storm, which combined so much action and momentum with character development, is the best of the series, but this one is good too. It was sad in parts.

I loved knowing more about Brienne, especially how she wept when Renly got betrothed to Margaery Tyrell. Her pairing with the (potentially dead, sadly) Podrick was fun.

Nimble Dick's death was heartbreaking.

Fuck Catelyn, even though I kind of understand her point of view.

Cersei is a lunatic.

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I had to give up Saturn's Children, as it reminded me too much of this:

Roger and Ann needed to meet Sergey in San Francisco.

“Should we take a train, or a steamship, or a plane?” asked Ann.

“Trains are too slow, and the trip by steamship around South America would take months,” replied Roger. “We’ll take a plane.”

He logged onto the central network using his personal computer, and waited while the system verified his identity. With a few keystrokes he entered an electronic ticketing system, and entered the codes for his point of departure and his destination. In moments the computer displayed a list of possible flights, and he picked the earliest one. Dollars were automatically deducted from his personal account to pay for the transaction.

The planes left from the city airport, which they reached using the city bi-rail. Ann had changed into her travelling outfit, which consisted of a light shirt in polycarbon-derived artifical fabric, which showed off her pert figure, without genetic enhancements, and dark blue pants made of textiles. Her attractive brown hair was uncovered.

At the airport Roger presented their identification cards to a representative of the airline company, who used her own computer system to check his identity and retrieve his itinerary. She entered a confirmation number, and gave him two passes which gave them access to the boarding area. They now underwent a security inspection, which was required for all airline flights. They handed their luggage to another representative; it would be transported in a separate, unpressurized chamber on the aircraft.

“Do you think we’ll be flying on a propeller plane? Or one of the newer jets?” asked Ann.

“I’m sure it will be a jet,” said Roger. “Propeller planes are almost entirely out of date, after all. On the other hand, rocket engines are still experimental. It’s said that when they’re in general use, trips like this will take an hour at most. This one will take up to four hours.”

After a short wait, they were ushered onto the plane with the other passengers. The plane was an enormous steel cylinder at least a hundred meters long, with sleek backswept wings on which four jet engines were mounted. They glanced into the front cabin and saw the two pilots, consulting a bank of equipment needed the fly the plane. Roger was glad that he did not need to fly the plane himself; it was a difficult profession which required years of training.

The surprisingly large passenger area was equipped with soft benches, and windows through which they could look down at the countryside as they flew 11 km high at more than 800 km/h. There were nozzles for the pressurized air which kept the atmosphere in the cabin warm and comfortable despite the coldness of the stratosphere.

“I’m a little nervous,” Ann said, before the plane took off.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he assured her. “These flights are entirely routine. You’re safer than you are in our ground transport cars!”

Despite his calm words, Roger had to admit to some nervousness as the pilot took off, and the land dropped away below them. He and the other passengers watched out the windows for a long time. With difficulty, he could make out houses and farms and moving vehicles far below.

“There are more people going to San Francisco today than I would have expected,” he remarked.

“Some of them may in fact be going elsewhere,” she answered. “As you know, it’s expensive to provide airplane links between all possible locations. We employ a hub system, and people from smaller cities travel first to the hub, and then to their final destination. Fortunately, you found us a flight that takes us straight to San Francisco.”

When they arrived at the San Francisco airport, agents of the airline company helped them out of their seats and retrieved their luggage, checking the numeric tags to ensure that they were given to the right people.

“I can hardly believe we’re already in another city,” said Ann. “Just four hours ago we were in Chicago.”

“We’re not quite there!” corrected Roger. “We’re in the airport, which is some distance from the city, since it requires a good deal of space on the ground, and because of occasional accidents. From here we’ll take a smaller vehicle into the city.”

They selected one of the hydrocarbon-powered ground transports from the queue which waited outside the airport. The fee was small enough that it was not paid electronically, but using portable dollar tokens. The driver conducted his car unit into the city; though he drove only at 100 km/hr, it felt much faster since they were only a meter from the concrete road surface. He looked over at Ann, concerned that the speed might alarm her; but she seemed to be enjoying the ride. A game girl, and intelligent as well!

At last the driver stopped his car, and they had arrived. Electronic self-opening doors welcomed them to Sergey’s building. The entire trip had taken less than seven hours.

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I've been working my through V. but it is hard. While I love some of the characters and mythology (crazy Rat-preacher, burly British acrobat/spies, the Siege Party etc) it's sometimes too slow in pace which makes me lose interest. I'm about halfway through right now, does it pick up or should I stop?

Edit: Oh never mind, someone just made a serenade out of Wittgenstein's Tractatus…

On another note, what is the consensus on poetry around here?

Edited by False Dmytro

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I've never been able to read poetry. My mind just can't process it. I start expecting it to make sense, because I see words with meanings in sentences on paper, and then I lose grip on the rhythm and cadre. So, I find it tiresome.

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It entirely depends. I've never made it through a book of poetry on my own, as much as I respect it. On the other hand, worked into a larger narrative, I love it. An example from the last year is when I read Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers" which alternates chapters between prose, letters, and occasional poetry that illustrates the fragile mental state of the main character. Those are incredibly powerful, full of interesting language and wordplay, and impressed me greatly. So for me, poetry is a fantastic narrative device but not something I go out of my way to read on its own.

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