tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post237356979723649184..comments2023-11-10T04:17:00.492-05:00Comments on View From The Porch: Third Book-itis.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-76416292920775690072009-06-01T07:10:21.146-04:002009-06-01T07:10:21.146-04:00Yes, but the villains are actually just set dressi...Yes, but the villains are actually just set dressing, since the real meat of the series is the interaction between the various members of the <I>Familias Regnant</I>.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-79152449337263920662009-06-01T03:46:01.137-04:002009-06-01T03:46:01.137-04:00My only problem with Moon's Herris series if the b...My only problem with Moon's Herris series if the bad guys. Horribly Cliched Mafia... In Spaaaaaace! Or Conan-esque Barbarians... In Spaaaaaace! It's a pity, since the characters and the setting is really quite enjoyable.Cybrluditehttp://cybrludite.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-66544710482320613752009-06-01T03:32:38.636-04:002009-06-01T03:32:38.636-04:00Diamond Age rocks. So does Snow Crash. So does ELO...Diamond Age rocks. So does Snow Crash. So does ELO :-)))<br /><br />I had to be stranded in a small town with a buggered Land Rover before I managed to get halfway through the Baroque cycle, and now there's Anathem *sigh*wrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14102470737392693528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-78147068312986084322009-05-31T10:04:18.031-04:002009-05-31T10:04:18.031-04:00Brad K.,
I liked the Deed of Paksennarion a lot, ...Brad K.,<br /><br />I liked the Deed of Paksennarion a lot, although I found it had a bit of Third Book-itis in that I found young mercenary Paks a whole lot more plausible and likable than superhero paladin Paks.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-63135473525244354212009-05-31T09:54:26.725-04:002009-05-31T09:54:26.725-04:00Tam, Andy,
I enjoyed the third book, somewhat, bu...Tam, Andy,<br /><br />I enjoyed the third book, somewhat, but it got old.<br /><br />Do read the first trilogy of Moon's that I read - a fantasy, nearly LOTR type world but done quite differently. And seriously, abidingly well told.<br /><br />Deed of Paksennarian (Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, Oath of Gold) - follows a girl promised to wed the neighbor pig-famer's son - but runs off to join a mercenary sword company for adventure - and to do good. Her world gradually widens, and she finds herself discovering great goods and great evils. Excellent story - but do *not* start the second book, without having the third in hand (unless you buy the combined trilogy in one book) - the ending of the second cries for the healing of the third story.<br /><br />Like Heris Serrano, this trilogy was followed by a handful of others, that were OK reads, but gradually longer get-through-this parts between great writings. I found this pattern in the Vatta's War series, too. And, like the Vatta's War series, Deed of Paksennarian is worth reading and re-reading.<br /><br />C. J. Cherryh wrote the Chanur's Pride series (four, I think, with the Chanur's Legacy follow-up). Excellent sci-fi.<br /><br />And Elizabeth Moon found an answer to the weak trailing off of Heris Serrano - do treat yourself to "Once a Hero", about a minor character from the climactic battle in Heris S. This launches a series of novels that eventually will tie back into the families and characters of the Heris story, but until then is really good reading.Brad K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18378344866487206569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-67828764726722166952009-05-30T16:51:35.212-04:002009-05-30T16:51:35.212-04:00Thanks for the tip on the Flynn trilogy. I am lik...Thanks for the tip on the Flynn trilogy. I am liking the cut of his jib too, based on his entries on his LiveJournal site.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05723565455606533972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-49238328039639743402009-05-30T15:12:21.998-04:002009-05-30T15:12:21.998-04:00For hard SF, try Jack Campbell's "Lost Fleet" seri...For hard SF, try Jack Campbell's "Lost Fleet" series. He actually includes relativistic effects into the strategies used for his space battles.<br />Mycroft.VISonjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13155807533260763625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-41963333043405273512009-05-30T08:03:03.949-04:002009-05-30T08:03:03.949-04:00About trilogies: first, the trilogy virus goes bac...About trilogies: first, the trilogy virus goes back further than Tolkien. It goes back at least as far as Shakespeare -- not for naught are three of his plays called "Henry VI, Part 1, 2, and 3." <br /><br />As for why they're so common nowadays: in the aftermath of the success of LOTR, many fantasy authors dreamed of being the next Tolkien, and worked up outlines for trilogies where before they might have stuck with single books. Enough of them managed to sell successful trilogies that publishers figured out if book 1 does well, then book 2 is a near-guaranteed sale. <br /><br />On top of that, the typical story of any kind has a three-part structure: intro, development/ complication, and conclusion -- so it fits into a trilogy format a lot more naturally than a two- or four-book format. And if someone gets as far as the end of book 2, the inevitable cliffhanger almost guarantees a sale of book 3.wolfwalkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-37190167246444220762009-05-30T00:21:52.985-04:002009-05-30T00:21:52.985-04:00Thanks for this post. I stupidly had never read F...Thanks for this post. I stupidly had never read Flynn.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-41712928611740748442009-05-29T21:22:50.174-04:002009-05-29T21:22:50.174-04:00Firestar...requested from my local library...thank...Firestar...requested from my local library...thanks, Tam!<br /><br />I read Diamond Age back when it first came out. It didn't make that much of an impression on me, for some reason. Ditto the Moon books. I used to own them all, now they grace the shelves of some branch of our local library, or maybe they were sold in the library's used book store. I donated a TON of books to the library when I first moved here to Vegas. I had no room for them all.Christina RN LMThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-57570103273171863082009-05-29T20:15:45.376-04:002009-05-29T20:15:45.376-04:00The posleen series was a trilogy - the third book ...The posleen series was a trilogy - the third book just came out too big. Both by author's admittance and also plainly obvious in the text.<br /><br />Ky Vatta is some good old-fashioned space opera. Likewise David Weber's Ashes of Empire series.Ian Argenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03704336044732061128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-25595863649200603022009-05-29T19:58:11.840-04:002009-05-29T19:58:11.840-04:00publishers generally don't want to publish a "one ...<I>publishers generally don't want to publish a "one hit wonder". So they tell new writers to bring them synopsis for three books.</I>From what I've been told by one SF writer, in order to get a single book published he had to sign a contract stating that if it was successful he was bound to write at least one sequel. This was back in the early 90's. <br /><br />The book he was writing was standalone, with no plans for a sequel. He signed the contract, and when it sold enough to justify the "sequel" he wrote a completely unrelated novel. He set it in the same universe and had one of the secondary characters from the first book make a half-chapter cameo.BryanPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-47678175359938715102009-05-29T19:06:07.669-04:002009-05-29T19:06:07.669-04:00The trilogy thing - from what I have been told - i...The trilogy thing - from what I have been told - is because publishers generally don't want to publish a "one hit wonder". So they tell new writers to bring them synopsis for three books. <br /><br />I suspect that writing three connected books is a slightly easier gig then coming up with three separate plot, characters, settings, etc.<br /><br />Ringo's "Posteen" series was originally a "quad", but like Topsy appears to just keep growing.<br />emdflAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-15322831652051816752009-05-29T18:50:52.443-04:002009-05-29T18:50:52.443-04:00Since you mention Elizabeth Moon and Heris Serrano...Since you mention Elizabeth Moon and Heris Serrano can I recommend the Ky Vatta books . As a male and sci-fi fan I wondered about a female spaceship captain ,I read the first Vatta War book and since have read every Vatta and Serrano book published . I believe that I will have to wait 18 months for Moon's next book .the doctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16158338414362607008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-16368701446885222772009-05-29T17:32:57.604-04:002009-05-29T17:32:57.604-04:00Reading the blurb for Firestar on Amaze-on.com imm...Reading the blurb for <I>Firestar</I> on Amaze-on.com immediately made me think "huh. Sounds like <I>Atlas Shrugged in Space</I>". <br /><br />Guess I'll have to hit Half-Priced Books this weekend and look for the series. <br /><br />Regards,<br />Rabbit.Rabbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09924556230506190220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-84901417051321666322009-05-29T17:23:30.409-04:002009-05-29T17:23:30.409-04:00I know of three used book stores with a huge cat t...I know of three used book stores with a huge cat that sleeps by the cash radiator. Yellowed Pages in Lincoln, Ne has a selection that is almost strange enough for my taste. The one in University City was OK, and I didn't care for the one in Hollywood, down the street from the Magic Castle. <br /><br />Unfortunately, my current trilogy is Samenow and Yochelson's "Inside the Criminal Mind." Unless someone knows of a comprehensive anthology of Kendall Foster Crossen's Stf works it appears I will be there a while. <br /><br />StrangerStrangerhttp://callejonextrano.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-86336081204715601632009-05-29T17:18:56.858-04:002009-05-29T17:18:56.858-04:00I loves me some Stephenson, and Diamond Age sits a...I loves me some Stephenson, and Diamond Age sits at the top of the heap. The later books are a slog; and Snow Crash and Zodiac are not quite there yet.<br /><br />/me curses having packed his books in prep of a move.<br /><br />WV: Splach - the sound you hear after someone cannonballs into an empty pool?Ian Argenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03704336044732061128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-35640179577520132472009-05-29T16:39:54.785-04:002009-05-29T16:39:54.785-04:00I have to ask. What genre were you refering to whe...I have to ask. What genre were you refering to when you "they were the best books in their (admittedly small) genre". (yeah, I know, the Amazon reviewer said it.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-19614950404718578142009-05-29T15:33:03.055-04:002009-05-29T15:33:03.055-04:00For Flynn, try Eifelheim. Sorta-alternate history ...For Flynn, try <I>Eifelheim</I>. Sorta-alternate history circa 1450 - churchmen, the black death, and aliens.<br /><br />I'm going to read his <I>January Dancer</I> once I'm done with the summer reading project, <I>War And Peace</I>...Noah Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-29367328859116716132009-05-29T15:15:44.893-04:002009-05-29T15:15:44.893-04:00Diamond Age was the book where I made a mental not...Diamond Age was the book where I made a mental note to stop reading Stephenson's stuff about two chapters before the last page and do the wrap up in my own imagination. If author's had character stats, he definitely min'ed his "ending" stat to max his others.<br /><br />I couldn't finish The Baroque Cycle, but Hiro Protagonist and the opening to Snow Crash were more than enough to keep me trying his work. Hiro is a top ten character of all time.aczarnowskinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-89394233453867108912009-05-29T15:13:18.405-04:002009-05-29T15:13:18.405-04:00There are four books in the Michael Flynn series. ...There are four books in the Michael Flynn series. The one you apparently don't have yet is FALLING STAR (I'm not shouting; just using caps instead of the underline I can't find on my keyboard to show a book title.<br />Elizabeth Moon's VATTA series is excellent, too.SargeLarrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-54411349803946544122009-05-29T14:05:36.503-04:002009-05-29T14:05:36.503-04:00By the time I read the third book in that series, ...By the time I read the third book in that series, I really got tired of Elizabeth's horse fetish. It extends to other examples of her work. The writing was fine, story pace was good... just got tired of the repetition of theme.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-7019891170378366012009-05-29T13:11:22.664-04:002009-05-29T13:11:22.664-04:00I love Kings of the High Frontier. I first bought...I love Kings of the High Frontier. I first bought it when it was sold online in HTML format and again in hard cover.<br /><br />Varley's Red Thunder is a good one in that genre too.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18382683082580500698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-13213468032629785772009-05-29T12:29:56.822-04:002009-05-29T12:29:56.822-04:00Stephenson's Anathem, his latest, is great. I nee...Stephenson's Anathem, his latest, is great. I need to read it again to understand it better. His Quicksilver trilogy about finance, economics and swashbuckling in the 16-1700s is a masterpiece.<br /><br />Chris Bunch and Allen Cole broke the mold with their seven? eight? nine? volume, million word Sten series. Lawdog turned me onto these, and other SF books by Bunch, who unfortunately passed several years ago. Out of print, they're findable at used book stores or online.<br /><br />Matt<br />St PaulAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-87502055202236453052009-05-29T11:58:30.253-04:002009-05-29T11:58:30.253-04:00Read it already. And Snow Crash, too.Read it already. And <I>Snow Crash</I>, too.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.com