Stephen started reading The White Pass and Yukon Route by Stan Cohen
Found this in a museum for C$6
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Brit in Canada. I read when I can't sleep, so yes there's a lot of books here. Nearly all SF.
he/him
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Stephen's books
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2024 Reading Goal
34% complete! Stephen has read 17 of 50 books.
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Stephen reviewed The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #3)
Sequel to Salvation Lost.
Humanity welcomed the Olyix and their utopian technology. However, mankind was …
Enjoyable again, but a bit confusing
4 stars
Without spoilers, there's a lot of stuff happening in a lot of different times, but those times are flowing at different speed relatively to each other so the stuff that starts earlier finishes later. And, as opposed to the the first book with locations like "this space habitat" or "that bit of London" it's "in this ship, which is between these places" and I found it very hard to keep apart.
But again I also read the book at 4am, instead of failing to sleep, so that didn't help. The trilogy is concluded, but there are two hooks left open to tug on later.
I also really can't work out whether the author wants us to like billionaire autocrats or not. It very much feels like you're supposed to, in the same way that classic fantasy has "kings, what a good idea" through it, as they're all wise and fearless …
Without spoilers, there's a lot of stuff happening in a lot of different times, but those times are flowing at different speed relatively to each other so the stuff that starts earlier finishes later. And, as opposed to the the first book with locations like "this space habitat" or "that bit of London" it's "in this ship, which is between these places" and I found it very hard to keep apart.
But again I also read the book at 4am, instead of failing to sleep, so that didn't help. The trilogy is concluded, but there are two hooks left open to tug on later.
I also really can't work out whether the author wants us to like billionaire autocrats or not. It very much feels like you're supposed to, in the same way that classic fantasy has "kings, what a good idea" through it, as they're all wise and fearless (the hero ones, anyway). The billionaire characters are definitely the good guys (and girls, and omnia) but it's yet another set of books that say "whoever makes their fortune in the 2200s will have it for the rest of the civilisation of the humans, if they don't outlive the others". Everyone else is spending each lifetime paying for life extensions of one form or another.
It's also nice to see PFH broaden the gender spectrum, but writing this I've realised he does do it to exactly three. No more or less.
Stephen finished reading The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #3)
Sequel to Salvation Lost.
Humanity welcomed the Olyix and their utopian technology. However, mankind was …
Quite addictive
Stephen finished reading Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #2)
Peter F. Hamilton: Salvation Lost (2019, Pan Macmillan)
Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #2)
Stephen reviewed Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #2)
Enjoyable, although the sex is weird
4 stars
Book 1 I was surprised but pleased the sex had toned down a bit. It's back again, although I'd concede it's I guess-sort-of-plot-relevant. I read this while unable to sleep so I struggled a lot with the far-future sci-fi gobbledegook. Reading it during the day might have been easier! Much like the Void books, once the sci-fi gets this far ahead it feels a bit comic fantasy.
Still enjoyable, still keen to read the last one.
Stephen reviewed Valuable Humans in Transit by qntm
qntm has been writing science fiction for most of this millennium. His works start from …
Enjoyable bleak sci-fi
5 stars
Not as miserable as the SCP stuff, mind. Some of the short stories are either too smart for me or finish like a twist is resolved but it's just a short story.
Stephen finished reading Valuable Humans in Transit by qntm
Valuable Humans in Transit by qntm
qntm has been writing science fiction for most of this millennium. His works start from elegant, deep hypotheticals and wind …
Stephen started reading Valuable Humans in Transit by qntm
qntm has been writing science fiction for most of this millennium. His works start from …
Need another Malazan break
Stephen reviewed The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan (Lands of the Firstborn, #1)
The sword cares not who it cuts.
Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine …
Not badly written, but not for me
3 stars
Eagerly picked up a new Hanrahan book as I'm enjoying his Iron-Gods-Is-Not-A-Trilogy. However this one is as grimdark as The Iron Gods, but with no joy in it at all. This is some years after a successful vanquishing of the Big Bad Evil Guy, and it's everything slowly going wrong. It's not written badly, but it's certainly less funny, the characters are mainly arseholes, and I'd rather have read a book about the events before this book.
Also a little unfair, but it feels too much like a D&D campaign in a book. I'm sure ironically it will turn out to be one of the few fantasy books at the moment that isn't "based on our cool campaign in university" but the descriptions are literally thieves, wizards, barbarians, etc. And a lot of healing potions.
Stephen finished reading The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan (Lands of the Firstborn, #1)
The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan (Lands of the Firstborn, #1)
The sword cares not who it cuts.
Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine companions saved the world, seizing …
Stephen set a goal to read 50 books in 2024
Stephen finished reading Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #1)
Peter F. Hamilton: Salvation (2018)
Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #1)
Stephen reviewed Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton (Salvation Sequence, #1)
Nice space opera start, with Canterbury Tales/Hyperion vibes
4 stars
Considering I didn't actually like Hyperion, ahaha. But a lot of the book is a bunch of people travelling to an alien crash site, while telling a tale each about their lives.
The great surprise for me though was that there's not much sex in this PFH book! He's finally settled down a bit. He does still like a tech leader who's now basically a benevolent dictator. And at the back of this book he basically says the one in here is Musk. Looking forward to the next two though.
Stephen commented on The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan (Lands of the Firstborn, #1)
The sword cares not who it cuts.
Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine …
Really struggling with this. Everyone's less likeable than the Iron Gods books
Stephen replied to UraniumSlug's status
@UraniumSlug I didn't get into that one either, but admittedly I didn't try for very long