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RichardAbbott
About
- Username
- RichardAbbott
- Joined
- Visits
- 6,082
- Last Active
- Roles
- Member, Administrator, Moderator
- Games I like
- Sundry, mostly board
- Books I like
- Science fiction, fantasy, some historical fiction
Comments
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Hmmm, the direct vimeo link seems only to work for a short time - I guess the token expires after a while. You can still get to it via the main web site though. Sorry about that.
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Maybe more is revealed in her other books? But on the other hand she might have deliberately left it a mystery...
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(Quote) I hadn't really thought about that aspect before you raised it the other day, and don't know whether I am persuaded. Moth's changing facets seem to be more because of the expectations of those around her, not her own will to change. But mayb…
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(Quote) I took them to be broadly speaking as follows: Descriptive Sciences - roughly what we might call phenomenological, concerned with mapping out what is rather than getting bogged down in rationalisations about why. Perhaps roughly how a lot of…
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I just found out that Carolyn Gilman has written four books in her "Twenty Planets" series, with Dark Orbit as the most recent https://www.goodreads.com/series/164361-twenty-planets The series blurb reads "These are stories set in the…
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In case there's any doubt about the matter, I totally loved this book and am very pleased that we chose it, since otherwise I would probably not have stumbled over it for a long time.
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Not one I've heard of. You going to do a review,?
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I also assumed that the Escher had made sense when originally built, and had been "reworked" after arrival. Worth noting Thora's reaction on seeing Torobe in the light - whereas it had made sense when she couldn't see it and had to be show…
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Yes, I think that duality is a major theme and appreciated that, and agree with the explorations that the two of you have made about kinds of individual and society. Yes, I think there were numerous things that Carolyn put in as background depth, wi…
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As mentioned in another discussion, I thought her use of quantum mechanics was consistent and credible. But the dark matter bit was (IMHO) a bit of a red herring, used simply to get the concept of darkness into the book where it could resonate along…
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Sara is described as quite acquisitive at the start, partly because of the society she lived in, but when out on the road comes over as generous and supportive of the group (to the extent that individuals reflect this back to her). Thora is put int…
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I would say that as written, the plot built more on the idea that you get forced repeatedly into situations which expose your weakness unless and until you have confronted it. That emerges in both psychotherapeutic and religious contexts. Like you t…
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Predictably I really appreciated the fact that quantum mechanical thinking (observation inevitably alters a system, often in uncontrollable ways) permeated the whole book. LIke @NeilNjae I thought the "forest" business was very striking -…
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Also my first one by her and I would definitely read another. I especially liked the mirroring of events / attitudes on several levels - eg the dark orbit of the actual planet, its subsurface inhabitants, the experience of Thora all reflect each oth…
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(Quote) It's looking great, well done :smile:
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For those interested, I have put out #3 in my blog posts The Music of Iluvatar, dealing this time with the poetry of men, especially the Rohirrim http://richardabbott.datascenesdev.com/blog/index.php/2019/01/29/the-music-of-iluvatar-part-3/
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> @Michael_S_Miller said: > I read the first Foundation book when I was a teenager, and I remember it being a little ... straight forward? Episodic? It seemed that every chapter was just another problem to solve without much depth, beyond the…
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Totally up for A, B, E or F sight unseen. Don't know anything about C or D but if the mood of the group goes that way then I'm cool with that.
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Late to the party here (for some reason the notification emails didn't flag this one up for me) but like others, I would say this is a great job you're doing. And such a lot of work :) I think I probably said this before, but you certainly have my p…
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(Quote) Sounds a good idea. There's also Leviathan Wakes and its successors (televised as The Expanse) - I have a fondness for near-future sf, and I'm sure @clash_bowley might dip in as well
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(Quote) Would you stop with the trilogy? Or include his later add-ons (I can see reasons for both choices). Also, has anyone persevered with the second trilogy contributed by other authors I tried but struggled with them, but that was years ago.
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(Quote) Speaking personally, some of the books I haven't liked so much over the months have triggered some of the best discussions :) I'd certainly trust your choices for another book. Asimov would be fun, and Caves of Steel is a very short book by…
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Sounds good to me
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If you like post-apocalyptic, there's always Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker, which is not only PA but also super-weird in terms of language - a bit like Iain M Banks did with Feersum Endjinn, but (IMHO) more successfully. The downside is that it mig…
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You're wanting a vote?
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Finished now and my opinion went up rather than down. I suspect that some folk won't like it but for me it was a fantastic choice. One that I will reread after the discussion is over
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(Quote) Yes, I think I was. Broadly speaking, my view is slightly complicated and probably slightly inconsistent, but such is life... So I would say 1. The author of a work decides what they want to say and how they want to say it, which in my under…
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> @Apocryphal said: > Fascinating. And yes, this is one of the higher-voted books on the to-read list.... Do you want to lead a book this year? Sure, happy to, just pick a month :)
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Jumping in late to this, I feel like @Apocryphal and @dr_mitch that a ten-point scale gives a superficial sense of accuracy without real substance. That said, I agree that there are different facets of a book that one might rate differently. For exa…
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Just read ch1 tonight and so far am finding it excellent! Looks like a great choice.