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RichardAbbott
About
- Username
- RichardAbbott
- Joined
- Visits
- 6,369
- 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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I didn't really find the complexity of the story very credible, with it's quasi-repetition of events over so many years. It seemed a highly artificial construct. Call me simplistic, but I can't imagine how the network of events and betrayals that @N…
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(Quote) Yes, I was exactly like this. I kind of stopped caring about all of them, and (as I have said several times now) just enjoyed the writing.
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Your question reminds me of the old academic joke about a philosophy finals question: Q: Is this a question? A: Yes, if this is an answer. I strongly suspect that this is apocryphal (pace @Apocryphal) and whether the student passed or failed depend…
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The fog - yes. Without some of that, the context left me (as a Brit who has never travelled to California) completely in the dark in that I had no real sense of where anything was in relation to anything else. (Kind of like if I were to say, "s…
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I liked his writing style - it kept me going at speed through the book when I didn't really care much for the characters or plot. It was nice to read an author whio every now and again weaves allusions to classic books and/or phrasing into his novel…
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(Quote) That's my experience too... I have to keep checking back into new categories and adding a checkbox there. So far as I can tell there is no way to default this on for new categories.
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Cool, thanks for the writeup, @Apocryphal
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> @NeilNjae said: > Does it? Or is [the alzabo's] intelligence solely the result of the minds it's consumed? It could well be the case that the alzabo is intrinsically no more intelligent than say a bear. It only becomes intelligent when it…
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I'm with @Apocryphal here... the people in the house basically hung Severian out to dry, and his best chance of survival was to negotiate. And he didn't actively help the alzabo, just promised to keep out of its way. I liked the way that the memory…
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> @Apocryphal said: > LEXICON > As she drew away, the shadow memories of Thecla's old bantering love affairs, played out among the pseudothyrums and catachtonian boudoirs of the House Absolute welled up within me, and I said, "…
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> @Apocryphal said: > LEXICON > Capulus: Here meaning the hilt of a sword. Also means sarcophagus, bier, sepulchre, or tomb. > > Abdiesus: The personal name of the Archon - it means 'one of serves Jesus', which is actually qui…
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(Quote) It's especially interesting which words you include :smile: - from a UK perspective I wouldn't have included trumpery (in another chapter) or raddled, but equally there are probably words that pass me by in obscurity which are obvious to you…
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I thought that the writing in these four chapters was excellent... fluent and well-executed as always, but more than that this time. There was a fine blend of revelation of the past - both the immediate past of Severian, and the longer-ago past of D…
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I'd be happy to read either the first one again, or the sequel
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I'm on 28 just now with a couple of very slow (but interesting) non-fiction reads on the go
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(Quote) I have some thoughts about this but they probably fit better with the next section's discussion
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> @clash_bowley said: > Why does he do this? The author, I mean. What is gained by this technique of skipping important things without notifying the reader and possibly filling in later... or maybe not? I am not familiar with this technique a…
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We all guessed right about Severian's new liaison. However, it's probably important to note that in fact Cyriaca initiated it... he just responded. It all made me wonder if we have been judging Severian by our own moral standards (which no doubt var…
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Great!
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(Quote) They'd never have been able to build Stonehenge! Can you imagine the endless arguments: "That stone should mark the midsummer solstice sunrise." "No!! Sunset!" "Don't be stupid, it's obviously a lunar marker for the …
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"Alexa, roll a 20-sided die" But she let me down and gave 1 Ah well. :smile:
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(Quote) That's an interesting point - can a rational people be so focused on uniformity that they end up dividing into multiple units each of which fundamentally disagrees with each other to the point of all-out war? I was thinking of EE (Doc) Smith…
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> @Michael_S_Miller said: > Sure, if you can stomach my progressive, low-conflict space opera and still want me in the rotation, I'm on-board! > > (Sorry for the delayed response. It was a rough week at work.) Personally I like …
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It was interesting how we jump a long way in space and time to just start at Thrax, as opposed to the tight detailing of the last book. That gives Gene Wolfe the opportunity to bring in previously unrevealed details later on, a narrative strategy he…
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(Quote) Oddly enough this was the aspect of The Chill which kept me reading, but I guess we'll talk about that at the end of the month
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(Quote) Funnily enough that one of Arthur's Turret is almost due north of Haltwhistle. Here's another, a bit further west from near Walltown Quarry but looking back eastward. (Image) Several more along that whole stretch from say north of Once Br…
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I have photos aplenty if you want, though admittedly many are of flowers and butterflies :smile:
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> @clash_bowley said: > I have said this before! After the debacle with Pride of Chanur... :blush: Sounds intriguing but before my time I think
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> @clash_bowley said: > Cool! much more verdant than I had pictured! That'll be all the rain :smile:
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I started reading this once and gave up, but I'd be happy to give it another go. It was quite a few years ago and I don't recall if there were specific reasons or just pressure of other things