tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post2023008115715581262..comments2023-04-27T04:39:45.647-04:00Comments on JT Thinks About Stuff: Book Review: SevenevesJThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-56643540200168627282015-07-30T11:06:53.798-04:002015-07-30T11:06:53.798-04:00Yeah; despite Scalzi's protests, it felt like ...Yeah; despite Scalzi's protests, it felt like the book just came in too short, and he padded it. It's not that I didn't like the codas--I did--but the overall reading experience brought me up short.<br /><br />The other trouble with <i>Redshirts</i> is a Scalzi tradition. Namely, all his characters speak in the same voice. In fact, to judge from his writing, they all talk like Scalzi. Honestly, there were points in <i>Redshirts</i> where I just gave up on following who was talking.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-33687212444309639272015-07-30T09:24:14.205-04:002015-07-30T09:24:14.205-04:00I actually felt that way about Redshirts, as well....I actually felt that way about Redshirts, as well. The last "coda" was really a tangentially related bit of writing. I was honestly disappointed, despite how much I liked the story. I still had a big section of book to read and the story ended. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-54863940819934205452015-07-28T12:19:00.357-04:002015-07-28T12:19:00.357-04:00I read the entire Baroque Cycle. Too long, and cha...I read the entire Baroque Cycle. Too long, and characterization issues to boot. I disagree about <i>Cryptonomicon</i> being too long, though; no doubt being a software nerd helps. (I'm rereading it now. Surprisingly little dated.) I liked the first two-thirds of <i>The Diamond Age</i>, but I thought it fell flat in the last part.<br /><br />Come to think of it, that's more or less how I felt about <i>Seveneves</i>. The last third is intellectually interesting, but the story kept drifting away.<br /><br />I would recommend <i>Seveneyes</i> to you with the following caveats:<br />* You should have a high tolerance for true Hard SF, by which I mean detailed explanations of orbital mechanics. I love this stuff, but apparently not everyone does.<br />* Consider the first two-thirds of the book as a standalone novel, and the final third as a separate sequel.<br /><br />Agreed with the recommendation for <i>Interface</i>! I believe Stephenson wrote it with his uncle, who apparently has a more ... focused ... approach to writing.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-35504681808949391552015-07-27T19:32:25.085-04:002015-07-27T19:32:25.085-04:00Agree on Snow Crash. Cryptonomicon was good, but n...Agree on Snow Crash. Cryptonomicon was good, but needed editing. Stephenson used to be more... concise. I read Quicksilver, and kept hoping something would happen. Never read the rest of the series. I also recommend Diamond Age, and Interface (under the name Stephen Bury, not Niel Stephenson). <br /><br />Knowing that I didn't like the Baroque book, and that the Cryptonomicon was too long, would you still recommend Seveneyes?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com