Very good, although a few bits can be a little odd. And it is long. But worth it.
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I'll stick with alfred Bester for my space-opera.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Teh PW
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: I'll stick with alfred Bester for my space-opera.
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: I'll stick with alfred Bester for my space-opera.
Chris bunch? of Last Legion fame?
Alfred Bester: Hugo and Nebula award winner. Probably the most visionary writer of his time. As an example, a character in his masterpiece The Demoloshed Man is named Dr. @kins and he can be reached for appointments via his electric mailbox. This was back in the 1950's
Neato huh?
The stories he wrote were few and far between (only seven or eight in total I believe) and they DO read like 1950's sci-fi in many ways but there's such a wealth of imagination in them a that they captivate anyway.
The Demoloished Man is about a telepathic cop that knows exactly who commited a murder (unheard of in a future where telepaths sweep the populace in search of just such thoughts) and must prove the means and motive to a computer D.A as telepathy is by nature, heresay in court.
The babylon 5 charcter is nmed "Bester" for this writer with good reason.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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posted
On the other hand, Bester wrote only two good novels (really good novels, admittedly) and a boatload of mediocre to awful ones.
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Yeah but think of most of the classics: most were one hit wonders.
Bester got two fantastic pieces and a gaggle of pulp (though considered good for their time).
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Thing with the Night's Dawn Trilogy is that despite it being really long its infinately readable- while not being a comedic book in the sense of Hitchhickers guide, Peter F, Hamilton is still able to see the funny side of his stories-
I mean The dead coming back from the beyond and Al Capone running a fleet of possesed starships and a bunch of planets seems ridiculous, but written so well that you can believe it.
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Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
The first book took a hell of a long time to get going. So in the meantime I went off and read his earlier trilogy of books about a psychic mercenary called Greg Mandel. Basic cyberpunk stuff, not brilliantly written, but promising. Then it was back to the second book, and by the third it was plain that he was going to have to do some serious Deus Ex Machining to sort everything out. So, er, that's what he did.
Then he wrote Fallen Dragon which was equally quite good apart from the tedious teenage-boy-falls-in-love-then-has heart-broken subplot (this time as a flashback) which has cropped up in most of his books.
And then he wrote Misspent Youth or Wasted Youth (whatever it was called), one of the biggest piles of horseshit ever committed to paper. The whole thing is one adolescent fantasy where, yes, a teenage boy falls in love then has his heart broken. What is it with this guy? Why does every novel have to feature a petulant spoilt brat obsessing over some girl? Is he completely incapable of writing about normal adult human relationships? If so, he'd better get a job writing for American TV sharpish.
I'll probably read the new one when it comes out, but I'm not hopeful about its quality. First sign of a hormonal teenager and it's barbecue kindling.
I guess I'm just annoyed I'll have to wait another year for the next book in Walter John Williams' latest series. And the fact that I didn't like Ken MacLeod's latest trilogy at all.
posted
Yeh i agree that Misspent Youth wasnt that great but his new book based in the same timeline is much better-in this book rejuevenation techniques are near perfect and the procedure is common place, we have wormhole technology etc etc....
Lets just say its much better than Misspent Youth, the more technological aspect of the book gives more scope for exciting writing- of the stuff I've read of Peter's it seem that he does best whn he gives himself more scope to play around.
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Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by E. Keeler: Any fans of Peter F. Hamilton out there...?
YES!
Read Fallen Dragon by him and it R-O-C-K-E-D! Got the 2nd & 3rd books of the Night Dawn Trilogy but waiting to get the 1st before I read them. Got the The Confederation Handbook and Misspent Youth too. Flicked through the first and it look like a kewl universe and the idea for the other look pretty good too. He's definately high on my list of favourite writers.
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