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RichardAbbott
About
- Username
- RichardAbbott
- Joined
- Visits
- 6,361
- 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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Must be a US euphemism... I haven't come across it on this side of the pond...
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> @NeilNjae said: > (Quote) > Is that because you're not enjoying the book, and want to get it over and done with? Is it because you're caught up in the action and keep turning the pages? Something else? > Sad to say that my readi…
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Lots of violence in these chapters, both remembered and in-the-now. I find myself reading faster and skimming more, and it is becoming much more of an effort to slow down, read through at least twice, and dwell on the content. My reaction is to get …
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> @WildCard said: > In our world, surely a mythic-literal embrace of a magical world(view) is a pre-critical stance, but in a world where magic is real and the Earth literally Is alive, what would that do to this three-part progression? It w…
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> @WildCard said: > Regarding the science of this book, it bounced me into critical mode again by saying the stars are all wrong on the other side of the world. The stars are all wrong on the other side of the equator, which one can experienc…
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> @Apocryphal said: > I also read it a few years ago. I think it stands well enough on its own. It’s a bit on the long side for a monthly pick, but we can extend the reading time if people want. I think Clash and Richard will love it, but the…
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(Quote) Aha, thanks for the info! One of the more interesting parts of the interview with NK Jemisin that @NeilNjae posted about the other day (https://www.ttrpbc.com/discussion/436/interview-with-nk-jemisin) was when she described how she tried wri…
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(Quote) I think that's a fair comment, but it is also at odds with the internal narrative device that the book is (as we have collected decided) largely dictated by Hoa to Essun. So (IMHO) the language ought to reflect what would paint pictures in E…
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Essun's parenting - my guess is that she is simply displaying the "abused child become abusive parent" theme, which does make psychological sense. Kind of spooky (and weird from a story-telling mode) that it was never mentioned before that…
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(Quote) I agree - NK Jemisin is either careless with these occasional "our-universe" words (as opposed to "in-universe" or else she uses this as a device to deliberately jolt the reader. Either way, it doesn't work for me. (Quot…
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> @Apocryphal said: > .... In the read of the first section I wondered about the character of Pandora, to whom we are lightly introduced twice. Now, having encountered her again in the second section where she addresses the reader, I’m findin…
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(Quote) @BarnerCobblewood oh I definitely intend sticking with it... these were just early impressions and I'd love for them to be transformed later on :)
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Funnily enough I saw this interview as well and thought about posting a link :)
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I'd have to say that, based on my very distant memory of Second Game, that Player of Games is the much more developed and intricate book!
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> @Apocryphal said: > I think these characters were like this before the season. Jemisin gives us a clue in the next chapters (hint: we're approaching page 166). > Can you let us know when we get there... a page number doesn't mean an…
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I have to admit to struggling with this, in a way that I had never expected to with Ursula Leguin. In terms of progress I am only 10% through according to my kindle, having just finished part one of Stone Telling and about to start the Serpentine Co…
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> @NeilNjae said: > (Quote) > This has come up a few times before. Is the general consensus that Jemisin is good at physical description? People, places, action, what they look like and what happens? > To clarify my personal view.…
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(Quote) That's what tipped me off :)
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Hello people, sorry for the lateness :) I had to read @Apocryphal 's contribution twice as I thought it read so much like those of @clash_bowley ! I have decided that one of Jemisin's strengths is the description of people's appearance - it's somet…
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What about the other way - do those among us who regularly GM, use music as a way to set scene or atmosphere? Or is that just too distracting? (As I write, I have a bizarre mental image of The Hall of the Mountain King on very loud...)
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An interesting question! There are, of course, plenty of tracks and albums based on books - no shortage there at all, ranging from the pretty-good to the appallingly terrible! I haven't come across any based on games, but it would surprise me if nob…
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> @clash_bowley said: > "Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" > Sorry, child murder disqualifies one right off the bat. > Apologies to you @clash_bowley and all my other US friends... it took me a couple of …
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(Quote) Hugely funny, a much needed relief in the middle of a long task... thanks :)
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Talking of post-scarcity books, I have been reading (and in some cases listening to) the Long Earth series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, and it finally, belatedly, occurred to me that this is another take on the post-scarcity theme. In this…
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I kind of get that Essun would want to drill into Nassun that she has to hide her real self and abilities, given the likely outcome of being discovered. Earlier bits in the books have established that your orogenes have a very wide-area effect which…
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> @WildCard said: > I was just depressed and didn’t realize how long I had been away. June works for me. I've been very much appreciating your recent comments on the books in progress, and am looking forward to your choice of book :)
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(Quote) She is (I think) at very least saying that identity consists at least in part of a socially-constructed element, as well as an individual one. With which I have no quarrels :) But I am not (yet) sure exactly what she is meaning or trying to…
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(Quote) Excellent reply :)
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> @clash_bowley said: > The moon's orbit is getting tighter and tighter, and it will one day hit the Roche Limit at about 11,000 miles and break up as the tidal stresses overcome the moon's own gravity, and it can't keep itself together. I ca…
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> @WildCard said: > I revise my wondering to: I wonder if the moon is in geosynchronous orbit on the other side of the earth, which is causing all this plate tectonics instability. > I can't see that working, I'm afraid. Geosynchronous…