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clash_bowley
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- clash_bowley
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Comments
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The ending of the 1001 Nights is like Schroedinger's cat, both happy and horrifying equally until an ending is decided upon by the reader - or listener - and each reader/listener must decide that ending for themself.
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I have to say I love the comparison of 1001 Nights to the Arthurian cycle - I think you nailed it.
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"From the story Masud means "fortunate, prosperous, lucky, happy" which I guess you can either see as an upbeat name describing his life before being found out, or an ironic one afterwards." I thought the king killed his wife an…
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Mostly done
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That's what I meant by "shared world view"
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Sounds good!
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I believe the Kel were given this instinct when they entered the service, and it was removed when they left, which gave me the impression it was indeed genetic, perhaps delivered by a retro virus, and perhaps restored the same way.
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My thinking was - and this is a guess - that Formation Instinct was a particular mindset imposed from the top, and triggered by taking a physical formation, be it of ships or troops. The Formation Instinct gave the formation power it otherwise would…
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I have written and published many military RPGs. This book had the feel of the military with very little actual substance, as if written by a grunt who understood everything on a magical level - it you do this, this will happen - so that nothing is …
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I quite liked Cheris, but she was fated to be overwhelmed by Jedao. In the end, she was Jedao. As for formation instinct, it was very magical and made no sense at all to me.
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The book went quickly enough, but I do not think I understood at all most of what was going on, accepting many things at face value, without comprehension on any deeper level.
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Confusing. It was mostly "them magic happened, and their bodies broke into thousands of glass-like shards '. I saw no attempt to relate cause and effect. It seemed arbitrary and unreal.
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The whole thing required a lot of work on my part, putting together a worldview from inferences, it was an interesting technique, but not entirely successful - witness Richard's fundamental confusion. Communication requires understanding on the part…
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It took me a long time to figure out what he was calling 'calender' was really shorthand for 'shared world-view", something we no longer have in the west.
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I did know about it. I am quite familiar with the Chinese (jiuweihu) and Japanese (kitsune) versions. One of the major adversaries in the legend of White Snake was a jiuweihu. Seems very apropos for Jedao. As for his plan, I thought iit was over co…
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Ripped through it!
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(Quote) No, Two different statements! I am thinking I must have read something by Jasper Fforde because the name is so odd yet familiar AND that I am thinking of Cherryh's Tripoint for October! Some mental shorthand for you all!:D
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The name sounds REALLY familiar for some reason. I am thinking of C. J. Cherryh's Tripoint
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(Quote) Who is up next?
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Boughted!
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(Quote) When you decide let us know!
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Very cool, Richard! Judging by sketal remains there were many women warriors in ancient Britain, but some scientists think skeletal examination is no conclusive. This is.
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(Quote) That would be my opinion as well. Note that several women were found among the British dead at Waterloo, not just the one mentioned. Mary Dixon, a 17 year veteran. Most battles they didn't bother checking the sex of the dead, and I don't kno…
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(Quote) Yes. Role-playing games. I have written military RPGs set from the Napoleonic era to the near and into the far future. Some of the most extraordinary gaming I have ever participated in.
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(Quote) That bothered the HELL out of me! I NEVER got used to it! (Quote) I noticed that too! I do like he was from the Magdalens, but his dialogue didn't convince me he was... Great character though!
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There were women who disguised themselves as men in order to serve, both as officers and as crew. There were typically several women serving in various capacities ON warships of the time, as specialists of various sorts, most of them married to offi…
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The historical accuracy of the book's view of the War of 1812 was crap. The American Navy was one on one much better than the British Navy, as reflected in the single ship battles. This was because of better ship design, and better crew. The America…
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The characters were, I think what drew me in and ultimately why I liked the book. She was very good at making individuals who resonated as real. The exceptions were the Bad Guy and the Heroine. I don't think either felt like real people. I cared far…
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I felt it was a Romance-Napoleonic Naval mashup that worked better than it should have. O'Brien did this brilliantly in the Aubrey-Maturin books, but O'Brien was a stunningly gifted writer. The different perspective - that of a Jane Austen heroine …
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What was the translation we are going to use? I'll need to get it!