The book reviews of "this is terrible because it's not modern" are well....terrible. If you're reading The Left Hand of Darkness, consider the fish out of water concept and how you might have felt at one time in your life being out of your element. You'll appreciate what the main character is going through as he navigates a completely alien culture that is completely different all the way from clothes to food to communication. He has no point of reference to make decisions on how to interact and integrate, which makes it a good socio-political story too. If you get stuck on gender, you're focusing on one part of the story and missing out on the whole.
Love Le Guin but also love Gibson. I think it is like reading Shakespeare in high school, incomprehensible at first but then the flow and prose start to make sense. Language is part of the immersion into the world. I probably didn’t have the lexicon to read Neuromancer back in the 80s but our culture and entertainment has caught up to Gibson’s future.
snow crash is one of the most disappointing books ive red. loved it for the first 50 pages or so but stevie got annoying. gave me sum of the best mental imagery though- similar style and color scheme as the cover. he even nailed 3rd person present tense for awhile i really liked neuromancer and think gibson is 1 of the best prose stylists in sf but need to read more. sometimes confusing plots give more re-read potential but cant blame people 4 not returning. good vid
I enjoyed Snow Crash, but I can understand the criticism. I think it's a book you just have to enjoy for the ride, so if you're not having fun with it, just drop it.
The first 20 pages or so of Snow Crash are among the best I have ever read. After that it never achieves that level again. And the story is basically all over the place. But the metaverse was a good invention at the time. I like the book for what it is.
@@bookjacksince I've got your attention, I've got a book recommendation from an argentinian author: the invention of morel. For what I heard from your reviews, I think you might like it. I don't know how easy would be to find a hard copy in English though.
Sea of Tranquility is just bad, I'm with Charlie. Kidsnowadays are trying to incorporate scifi elements but at the same time wanna make it to the fancy hallways, so we are getting all this "speculative fiction" which is just plainly bad scifi. Come on, it takes another level of skill to write a story with a time machine and make it boring as hell, and for no good reason, because it's not like you get interesting characters or character development, or even some nice prose. You get nothing. Thank God it is short.
Yeah I know what you mean. There's a lot of recent sci-fi that's a little too fancy and just barely edges into the genre. Not sure how Sea of Tranquility got passed my BS sensors but it did 😅
Wise words on reading. A title for a future video? You have a rare ability to succinctly state your thoughts. I like that. Thanks for the effort of making this video. Btw, looks like you’ve collected a lot of books since you started this channel. Is that your library now? How are eBay sales going? 😺✌️
That is mostly my eBay store behind me. Sales have been up and down but I'm enjoying the ride. Happy to be able to own a used bookstore. Thanks for watching :)
OMG! love UKlG - Left Hand... The Dispossessed - pure genius. Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of my modern favourites - this 'non human ' intelligence stories are fantastic! Sirens.... surely worth it for "chronosynclastic infundibulum" and very funny! Gibson and Stephenson - I personally think a little "dated" but cracking reads nevertheless. Good programme, thanks.
I have to agree as well. I don't like really abstract writing. I like a very meaty, terse prose. As a pre-teen, I loved Heinlein's very clear style. I also enjoy Rod Serling's use of words, much meaning packed into few words. I found it hard to get into Arthur C. Clark or Andre Norton. There is one author's very unique and difficult style of righting that I feel is worth the effort. William Faulkner. He's not a sci-fi writer, and he writes in the "stream of consciousness" style. But, after you get through his one or two page paragraphs, then what he is saying is concrete enough to make it worth the while. I was looking for that in "Roadside Park", but I felt that instead of coming to a concrete conclusion, I was just left hanging. There was no landing of that aircraft.
@@bookjack William Faulkner came from Northern Mississippi, and that's what his stories are all about. If you really want to hear tales of what real racism was, he lays it out pretty well. Hemmingway, I've read a couple of his books. I wouldn't call his writing style terse. Dramatic, illustrative, definitely. I find him a bit hard to read as well, although his stories are good. In "For Whom the Bells Toll", he does an excellent job in revealing the nuances of Spanish.
@@bookjack I was stationed in Spain, and I've been back three times. The last time, I visited the sites where the battle was the worst, Badajoz, Bilbao, Sevilla. In 2002, the last time I was in Spain, they still had the old plaza de toros up in Badajoz, even after they built a new one. You'd have to know a lot about the history of the Spanish Civil War to comprehend that.
For me, it's more that the psychology and sociology presented in some of LeGuin's other works (like Dispossessed and Lathe) is more, ummm, well thought out, maybe? While Left Hand was a great read, I also didn't keep it (and I've read Lathe about three times). Actually, I can see why some might give Left Hand Etc. one star reviews. Thinking about it: I may have finished Left Hand because it's this "great" book that I "have" to read. I finished it out of moral obligation rather than the joy of ideas (which is why I've read Lathe three times--I love it's reality-bending! It speaks to me on a personal level; for me, Left Hand is a SF book that's good).
Oh I definitely go straight to Goodreads for the 1-star reviews after finishing a book. For validation of my own distaste for novels such as King's Black House or Rose Madder, but even when I have a favorable review such as Project Hail Mary, yet understand much of the strong criticism.
Couldn't agree more about Snow Crash. I had read that Snow Crash has a similar writing style to Ready Player One (which I enjoyed) so I gave it a shot and ended up DNFing it at the halfway point...
People who rate classic books as 1 star are either out of their depth or thirsty for attention. Rating an acknowledged classic like Neuromancer with 1 star is a good example of that -- the reader didn't understand it and thinks the book should be penalized for their ignorance and/or disappointment. News flash: the book doesn't care, William Gibson doesn't care and no one else cares either. The only reason to rate any book is for your own self-reference in case you forget that you read it or are tempted to read it again.
Agreed! Love Le Guin, love the others. Tchaikovsky, Scalzi - 5 stars for me! 🤍 scifi is all about wonder and keeping an open mind, not trying to find bad sh*t behind everything
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The book reviews of "this is terrible because it's not modern" are well....terrible. If you're reading The Left Hand of Darkness, consider the fish out of water concept and how you might have felt at one time in your life being out of your element. You'll appreciate what the main character is going through as he navigates a completely alien culture that is completely different all the way from clothes to food to communication. He has no point of reference to make decisions on how to interact and integrate, which makes it a good socio-political story too. If you get stuck on gender, you're focusing on one part of the story and missing out on the whole.
Yes there is so much in that book (some would say too much) Trying to give a succinct review that does it justice is hard 😅
Love Le Guin but also love Gibson. I think it is like reading Shakespeare in high school, incomprehensible at first but then the flow and prose start to make sense. Language is part of the immersion into the world. I probably didn’t have the lexicon to read Neuromancer back in the 80s but our culture and entertainment has caught up to Gibson’s future.
I have been meaning to revisit it. Typically I slip into the prose after a certain amount of time but something about Neuromancer kept me out
Hey. Based on your recommendation I read Klara and the Sun. It was excellent. So, thanks.
snow crash is one of the most disappointing books ive red. loved it for the first 50 pages or so but stevie got annoying. gave me sum of the best mental imagery though- similar style and color scheme as the cover. he even nailed 3rd person present tense for awhile
i really liked neuromancer and think gibson is 1 of the best prose stylists in sf but need to read more. sometimes confusing plots give more re-read potential but cant blame people 4 not returning. good vid
Fun video. I enjoy Neal Stephenson but he definitely has a unique style
@@NevsBookChannel yay, stephenson defense society! this gentleman read his worse book and crossed him for life
I enjoyed Snow Crash, but I can understand the criticism. I think it's a book you just have to enjoy for the ride, so if you're not having fun with it, just drop it.
The first 20 pages or so of Snow Crash are among the best I have ever read. After that it never achieves that level again. And the story is basically all over the place. But the metaverse was a good invention at the time. I like the book for what it is.
I will follow Julian's wisdom next time
@@bookjacksince I've got your attention, I've got a book recommendation from an argentinian author: the invention of morel. For what I heard from your reviews, I think you might like it. I don't know how easy would be to find a hard copy in English though.
Sea of Tranquility is just bad, I'm with Charlie. Kidsnowadays are trying to incorporate scifi elements but at the same time wanna make it to the fancy hallways, so we are getting all this "speculative fiction" which is just plainly bad scifi. Come on, it takes another level of skill to write a story with a time machine and make it boring as hell, and for no good reason, because it's not like you get interesting characters or character development, or even some nice prose. You get nothing. Thank God it is short.
Yeah I know what you mean. There's a lot of recent sci-fi that's a little too fancy and just barely edges into the genre. Not sure how Sea of Tranquility got passed my BS sensors but it did 😅
I liked Snow Crash 😢
Thomas Margaret Anderson Donald Perez Donna
Wise words on reading. A title for a future video?
You have a rare ability to succinctly state your thoughts. I like that.
Thanks for the effort of making this video.
Btw, looks like you’ve collected a lot of books since you started this channel. Is that your library now? How are eBay sales going?
😺✌️
Reading Neuromancer was the impetus for me to study library and information sciences, which I love. So, it has done some good. 😉
That is mostly my eBay store behind me. Sales have been up and down but I'm enjoying the ride. Happy to be able to own a used bookstore.
Thanks for watching :)
I love these types of videos 😆
There are some interesting opinions out there 😅
I appreciate your attitude and openness to reading being subjective, bravo BookJack!
I try my best 😅
OMG! love UKlG - Left Hand... The Dispossessed - pure genius.
Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of my modern favourites - this 'non human ' intelligence stories are fantastic!
Sirens.... surely worth it for "chronosynclastic infundibulum" and very funny!
Gibson and Stephenson - I personally think a little "dated" but cracking reads nevertheless. Good programme, thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching :)
I have to agree as well. I don't like really abstract writing. I like a very meaty, terse prose. As a pre-teen, I loved Heinlein's very clear style. I also enjoy Rod Serling's use of words, much meaning packed into few words. I found it hard to get into Arthur C. Clark or Andre Norton. There is one author's very unique and difficult style of righting that I feel is worth the effort. William Faulkner. He's not a sci-fi writer, and he writes in the "stream of consciousness" style. But, after you get through his one or two page paragraphs, then what he is saying is concrete enough to make it worth the while. I was looking for that in "Roadside Park", but I felt that instead of coming to a concrete conclusion, I was just left hanging. There was no landing of that aircraft.
I need to read Faulkner. The only thing I know about him is what you just told me.
How do you feel about Hemingway? Definitely terse
@@bookjack William Faulkner came from Northern Mississippi, and that's what his stories are all about. If you really want to hear tales of what real racism was, he lays it out pretty well. Hemmingway, I've read a couple of his books. I wouldn't call his writing style terse. Dramatic, illustrative, definitely. I find him a bit hard to read as well, although his stories are good. In "For Whom the Bells Toll", he does an excellent job in revealing the nuances of Spanish.
I read that one too. Interesting to learn about the Spanish Civil War
@@bookjack I was stationed in Spain, and I've been back three times. The last time, I visited the sites where the battle was the worst, Badajoz, Bilbao, Sevilla. In 2002, the last time I was in Spain, they still had the old plaza de toros up in Badajoz, even after they built a new one. You'd have to know a lot about the history of the Spanish Civil War to comprehend that.
@@bookjack I still have a copy of Hugh Thomas' "Spanish Civil War". I believe that is the most comprehensive English account of that war.
For me, it's more that the psychology and sociology presented in some of LeGuin's other works (like Dispossessed and Lathe) is more, ummm, well thought out, maybe? While Left Hand was a great read, I also didn't keep it (and I've read Lathe about three times). Actually, I can see why some might give Left Hand Etc. one star reviews. Thinking about it: I may have finished Left Hand because it's this "great" book that I "have" to read. I finished it out of moral obligation rather than the joy of ideas (which is why I've read Lathe three times--I love it's reality-bending! It speaks to me on a personal level; for me, Left Hand is a SF book that's good).
I really liked The Lathe of Heaven too. A lot more concise than Left Hand while still delivering a lot of philosophical ideas
Oh I definitely go straight to Goodreads for the 1-star reviews after finishing a book. For validation of my own distaste for novels such as King's Black House or Rose Madder, but even when I have a favorable review such as Project Hail Mary, yet understand much of the strong criticism.
I like to wait a little while to let my own thoughts percolate but it is fun to see where your own opinions lie
Couldn't agree more about Snow Crash. I had read that Snow Crash has a similar writing style to Ready Player One (which I enjoyed) so I gave it a shot and ended up DNFing it at the halfway point...
Made a good decision in the DNF at least
People who rate classic books as 1 star are either out of their depth or thirsty for attention. Rating an acknowledged classic like Neuromancer with 1 star is a good example of that -- the reader didn't understand it and thinks the book should be penalized for their ignorance and/or disappointment. News flash: the book doesn't care, William Gibson doesn't care and no one else cares either. The only reason to rate any book is for your own self-reference in case you forget that you read it or are tempted to read it again.
I try my best to let people know that my book ratings are subjective. Not the norm here on UA-cam though
I don't particularly care what other people think of my taste in books, but at least a video for you evolved from there.
🤙
Agreed! Love Le Guin, love the others. Tchaikovsky, Scalzi - 5 stars for me! 🤍 scifi is all about wonder and keeping an open mind, not trying to find bad sh*t behind everything
Don't see my comment (sh*d0wb*nned?). It was funny. 5stars.
Love the content.
Hmm I don't see anything being held for review. I'll just imagine something witty and slightly edgy 😅