TSF Book Club

mariner4life

Just finished Peter Hamilton's vast Nights Dawn trilogy. Holy fuck, that is one long fucking story. Too long really. He could easily have cut one book. And talk about a deus ex machina ending as well. 3,600 pages of story, and the whole thing is wrapped up in about 4. 
 
The Commonwealth Saga was much better, because it was only 2 books. This one was a bit of a chore to get through by the end

Kirwan

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="492584" data-time="1432595485">Just finished Peter Hamilton's vast Nights Dawn trilogy. Holy fuck, that is one long fucking story. Too long really. He could easily have cut one book. And talk about a deus ex machina ending as well. 3,600 pages of story, and the whole thing is wrapped up in about 4. 
The Commonwealth Saga was much better, because it was only 2 books. This one was a bit of a chore to get through by the end</blockquote>
 
My favourite Hamilton book is still Fallen Dragon. Agree he can go a bit long, but I love his ideas.

mariner4life

yea, love his ideas, the story itself was very original, and very cool. He just ran with it a bit too much, and put in too many side stories. 
 
Haven't read Fallen Dragon, i'll give it a nudge.

Paekakboyz

Fallen Dragon is fucking awesome M4L. I didn't mind the length of the Nights Dawn trilogy but agree the end was a wee bit trite. In saying that any resolution in that kind of world/universe can't help but be a bit deus ex machina.
 
Get amongst Iain M Banks too if you like your sci-fi. RIP dude, what an imagination and a great writer.
 
We've finished up some reno work so all my books are returning from boxes to shelves etc. Doing a re-read as I go. On a Deathstalker series binge at the moment.

Kirwan

And another shout out to The Martian by Andy Weir. You'll want to read it before the movie comes out;
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://screenrant.com/martian-movie-images-damon-chastain-wiig/'>http://screenrant.com/martian-movie-images-damon-chastain-wiig/</a>
 
Looks like a good adaption, and with the screenplay by the show runner for Daredevil (which was very well written).

gollum

<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Son-Philipp-Meyer/dp/0857209442'>http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Son-Philipp-Meyer/dp/0857209442</a>
 
The Son by Phillip Meyer.
 
I read American Rust a few years ago & it was really good, but not amazing, The Son is his second & its fantastic. Basically its a very gritty sort of "The Courtneys" by Wilbur Smith thing set during the indian wars as america was being established. So with Comnanches instread of Zulus. Really excellent. Same sort of feel as Dances With Wolves, Deadwood, Lonesome Dove etc.

Crucial

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Kirwan" data-cid="492719" data-time="1432684867">
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And another shout out to The Martian by Andy Weir. You'll want to read it before the movie comes out;
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://screenrant.com/martian-movie-images-damon-chastain-wiig/'>http://screenrant.com/martian-movie-images-damon-chastain-wiig/</a>
 
Looks like a good adaption, and with the screenplay by the show runner for Daredevil (which was very well written).
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I'll take the recommendation regarding the book, but the thought a movie which is basically Matt Damon running through various emotions sounds too much like Judy Bailey reading the news.

Stockcar86

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
 
Imagine the fantasy genre if Peake, not Tolkien, had become the megaseller.
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<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='

'>

</a>

gollum

<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/06/bradley-coopers-hyperion-adaptation-heading-to-syfy.html'>http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/06/bradley-coopers-hyperion-adaptation-heading-to-syfy.html</a>
 
Theres a fairly hefty Sci Fi serving on here... Hyperion is being made into a TV series!
 
So thats good.
 
By Sci-Fi channel.. so, yeah.. less so.

Paekakboyz

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="gollum" data-cid="496331" data-time="1434381297">
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<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/06/bradley-coopers-hyperion-adaptation-heading-to-syfy.html'>http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/06/bradley-coopers-hyperion-adaptation-heading-to-syfy.html</a>
 
Theres a fairly hefty Sci Fi serving on here... Hyperion is being made into a TV series!
 
So thats good.
 
By Sci-Fi channel.. so, yeah.. less so.
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Wow, wondered if someone would be brave enough to take this on. A big ask and a really deep story. A series does sounds better than a movie, but only if they have a decent budget.

gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Paekakboyz" data-cid="496719" data-time="1434612451">
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Wow, wondered if someone would be brave enough to take this on. A big ask and a really deep story. A series does sounds better than a movie, but only if they have a decent budget.
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alas thats where it falls over being with SciFi not Netflix or HBO
 
See American Gods has finally got greenlit too & has a writer. So its happening. Thats a fucking great book.

Milk

I've just started working my way through the Dennis Lehane series of books featuring Boston PI Patrick Kenzie. Gone Baby Gone was one of the books in the series, but I'm not up to there yet. He also wrote Mystic River and Shutter Island.

Catogrande

I got into Lehane's work sometime back and really enjoyed it. I liked the Kenzie/Gennaro books best but got the feeling that we was not getting fulfilled in writing them. I've read most of the rest of them up to and including "The Given Day". I've tried reading the follow up "Live by Night" but just can't get into it.

Paekakboyz

I just hope they make American Gods nice and dark, not lighten it up for 'broader appeal'.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Catogrande" data-cid="496767" data-time="1434642118">
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I got into Lehane's work sometime back and really enjoyed it. I liked the Kenzie/Gennaro books best but got the feeling that we was not getting fulfilled in writing them. I've read most of the rest of them up to and including "The Given Day". I've tried reading the follow up "Live by Night" but just can't get into it.
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Lehane also wrote a number of The Wire's scripts.
 
I like his writing but couldn't get into the Kenzie/Gennaro series, I just didn't like the characters enough to read a whole series. I made a mistake when I read Coronado as I thought it was a novel and not short stories, I got to the end of the first one looking forward to the next chapter - and nope, new story. What a dumbass.
 
I was actually disappointed that I read Shutter Island as I think the movie would have been great f I had no idea what was happening.

Catogrande

Yeah Nepia, I know what you mean re Shutter Island. Having read the book I didn't bother with the film. Couldn't see the point,

gollum

George Pelecanos is very similar to Lehane, and also wrote a lot of The Wire. Really good books. Highly recommended.
 
I went through an american crime thing a few years back, Lehane, Pelecanos, James Ellroy, Walter Mosely, Don Winslow, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard.
 
Really fantastic writing. Tho of those 4, Ellroy can be a bit of a slog. The other 6 are like watching Shutter Island, or The Drop, or Killing Them Softly. Ellroy is like watching all 5 seasons The Wire directed by Cormac McCarthy. American Tabloid (Ellroy) is easilty one of my favourite ever books.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="gollum" data-cid="497737" data-time="1435056840">
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George Pelecanos is very similar to Lehane, and also wrote a lot of The Wire. Really good books. Highly recommended.
 
I went through an american crime thing a few years back, Lehane, Pelecanos, James Ellroy, Walter Mosely, Don Winslow, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard.
 
Really fantastic writing. Tho of those 4, Ellroy can be a bit of a slog. The other 6 are like watching Shutter Island, or The Drop, or Killing Them Softly. Ellroy is like watching all 5 seasons The Wire directed by Cormac McCarthy. American Tabloid (Ellroy) is easilty one of my favourite ever books.
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I made the mistake of reading too much Pelecanos at one time, I think it's best to have gaps when reading authors or you notice the patterns too much.
 
I've never read a Cormac McCarthy book, are they a decent read?

gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="497753" data-time="1435070047">
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I made the mistake of reading too much Pelecanos at one time, I think it's best to have gaps when reading authors or you notice the patterns too much.
 
I've never read a Cormac McCarthy book, are they a decent read?
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I know what you mean about Pelecanos, I read 2 & really liked his "he put fire to his cigarette" tick, then by 5th book I wanted him to just write "he lit it". Also his early books were short & sparse, really good, then he got deeper more verbose but less interesting later, I haven't bothered reading his latest one & yet I raved to anyone whowould listen about Firing Offence or Shoedog.
 
McCarthy can be a bit of a slog I find, The Road was great, everyone raves about Blood Meridian but I found it to be just too unendingly samey grim. Its like the depressing parts of Unforgiven, over & over, for 300 pages.
 
I sort of feel some of his stuff is more ordeal than pleasure.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="497753" data-time="1435070047">
I made the mistake of reading too much Pelecanos at one time, I think it's best to have gaps when reading authors or you notice the patterns too much. 
I've never read a Cormac McCarthy book, are they a decent read?</blockquote>
 
Agree with Gollum , no country for old MFN and the road are great, all the pretty horses is ok but blood meridian has such depraved characters it's a hard slog . 
I just finished this, <a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.smithsbookshop.co.nz/bookshop/isbn9781869502041.php">http://www.smithsbookshop.co.nz/bookshop/isbn9781869502041.php</a> it's a great read and finishes off in Trieste which was a pretty sad way for the kiwis to end their war. What happened in Trieste reminded me a lot of what happened near by forty or so years later.

The Silver Fern

TSF Book Club