I LIKE BIG BOOKS | Sci Fi & Fantasy Reviews

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  • Опубліковано 28 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 113

  • @BookishDrummer
    @BookishDrummer 2 роки тому +14

    I’m also guessing…you cannot lie? 🤣

    • @thelasthandbook6704
      @thelasthandbook6704 2 роки тому +4

      all you other readers can't deny (?)

    • @epiphoney
      @epiphoney 2 роки тому +3

      Her anaconda don't want none unless you've got big books hun.

  • @epiphoney
    @epiphoney 2 роки тому +5

    Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star is big if you want big, plus it's part one of two, Judas Unchained. Or even bigger The Night's Dawn trilogy, which is 3 big books.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Yes he definitely delivers the big books

    • @epiphoney
      @epiphoney 2 роки тому +1

      @@TheShadesofOrange Someone commented to me on goodreads: "Man does he love describing buildings and city layouts! I feel he is a frustrated architect/city planner at heart."

  • @misterbum1
    @misterbum1 2 роки тому +1

    Amazon has this one for free -The Greatest Works of H. Beam Piper - 35 Titles in One Edition: Dystopian Novels, Sci-Fi Books & Supernatural Stories: Terro-Human Future History, Little Fuzzy… Kindle Edition

  • @superkitten7560
    @superkitten7560 2 роки тому +4

    I love big books! I'm reading Shogun: The Epic Novel of Japan (on my phone to prevent me from browsing social media) and it's 1,100+ pages long....and that's only book one! This dude really went for the magnum opus card lol

  • @riva7rau
    @riva7rau 2 роки тому +1

    Another Neal Stephenson book I enjoyed is Seveneves. The paperback is 880 pages, a certain amount of hard astrophysics, big ideas, etc. Might also be a bit too long, but then the last section of the book somewhat ties everything together. I loved Cryptonomicon, though I also thought it fell off a bit in the ending. Regardless, it's still one of my all-time favorite stories, and was my initial introduction to Stephenson's work.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Oh yes I really liked Seveneves. Probably my favourite book by him at the moment

  • @awizardintraining
    @awizardintraining 2 роки тому

    yeah, Neil Stephenson has a lot to say, that's for sure. The sequel to D.O.DO. came out last year, The Master of Revels, which was only written by Galland, because I think Stephenson was busy writing his stand alone book. I highly recommend the sequel. I will def try out xx

  • @DuckRon626
    @DuckRon626 2 роки тому +1

    My favorite 500+ page SF novel,is Dune by Frank Herbert. Not sure how many of the Dune hronicles are 500+ pages, but, Dune certainly is. Actually, Dune is my favorite SF novel no matter the length.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Yes read Dune last year but still need to read the sequels

  • @redfoot2
    @redfoot2 2 роки тому +2

    Someone already mentioned Peter F. Hamilton who I would have recommended for giant tomes. But another one almost topping out at 800 pages is A Deepness in the Sky, which is the prequel (written after) to A Fire Upon the Deep. Someone people prefer it to AFUTD and it actually has a higher Goodreads rating. For hard SF AFUTD is superior but the characters in Deepness are really, really fantastic

  • @walksuphills
    @walksuphills 2 роки тому +1

    The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams is a nice chunky fantasy novel where someone from our reality is transported into the land of the fae and gets caught up in intrigue between warring factions. Tad Williams is known for long series books, but this is a stand alone and a really satisfying self contained story. Even if it is long enough to be a trilogy.

  • @chrisconnors7418
    @chrisconnors7418 2 роки тому

    I have the starless crown in audio from the library. May not listen to it though given your review and Thomas’ (SFF180) review. And I’m enjoying the audio for book 7 now of The Expanse so don’t want to switch from those. In previous books I noticed the audio does not contain some of the scenes that are in the written books.
    A good 800+ page book is Robots of Gotham. I think you’d like that. It’s a standalone but there’s enough material to make you want a follow up.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Yes Robots of Gotham is on my big book list because of you. And yeah sadly Thomas and I didn't like that one. We grumbled about it behind the scenes when we were reading it

  • @chrisconnors7418
    @chrisconnors7418 2 роки тому

    A couple of months ago I may have mentioned a 5-star book I had read a few decades ago (Memoirs of an Invisible Man). I reread it yesterday. I now wish to completely retract that recommendation. It has not aged well--to put it extremely mildly--and I'm embarrassed I once thought it was good. There are some good parts, but the bad parts had me skipping entire pages, and the first few chapters.

  • @g.salencar8675
    @g.salencar8675 2 роки тому +1

    Right now I'm reading Dreamsongs by George R.R. Martin. It's a collection of his short stories and novellas, and so far it's been pretty interesting to know more about him and read his earlier works. I mean, it's not a novel, but it's a big book and there's a plethora of stories ranging from fantasy to sci-fi to horror and in between

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Ooh that's awesome. I love the Song of Ice and Fire books

    • @g.salencar8675
      @g.salencar8675 2 роки тому

      @@TheShadesofOrange me too. In fact it was the series that inspired me to become a writer, so I'm kinda biased for Martin, but his earlier stories are pretty good

  • @IndridCold00
    @IndridCold00 2 роки тому +3

    I'm sure you've seen this rec, and I know your history with Stephen King is hit-and-miss, but I have to recommend The Stand here. I'd call it distopian, which I personally think of as a subgenre to scifi, and it's my personal favorite of his. Very engaging characters.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Yeah yes I'm nervous to try that one because it's King and I don't typically love post apocalyptic fiction 😬

    • @TerpDerp
      @TerpDerp 2 роки тому +1

      I read the Stand by King and Swan Song by Robert McCamon. Both were excellent. I personally preferred Swan Song.

  • @Oilbleak5453
    @Oilbleak5453 2 роки тому

    Nicole Galland’s sequel to The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (called Master of Revels) came out in February of 2021. It picks up right where the first book leaves off and it’s a touch bit shorter so you might enjoy that one more than the first.

  • @Galiuros
    @Galiuros Місяць тому

    I discovered Cryptonomicon and Neil Stephenson in a book store while laying over in the Houston airport in 1999. It was the title that grabbed my attention. I had never heard of Neil. But, my job in the Army had cryptography elements so the title intrigued me. More than crypto stuff, the book goes into the history of breaking the Enigma machine and the beginnings of computer science. I love how Neil, in a later book, tied together how the on/off cocks used in old pipe organs to stop or redirect air flow, led loosely to the concept of ones and zeros to create an operating system. The more modern timeline in the book was a bit fancible but the way Neil laid out the series of events leading to the end kept me interested.
    I'm sure it was coincidence that the short bio/photo of Neil Stephenson on the books cover had a personal connection for me. The bio states that Neil was born at the Fort Meade, Maryland hospital and the photo shows the younger him holding a book about Cryptography. Well, I was born at Fort Meade (long before him) and my dad gave me a book about Cryptography. That bit of synchronicity was enough for me to buy his book. I've read all his stuff since.
    Thanks for the reviews.

  • @bookssongsandothermagic
    @bookssongsandothermagic 2 роки тому +1

    Another great video. Nice seeing Fuzzy Nation - I have only read Scalzi's "remake" but I do want to check out the original. I'm trying to read bigger books this year too, but with just a slight increase rather than a big focus (partly because I want to read more classics too and many of them are quite short....)

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +2

      Good luck to both of us picking up bigger books this year!

  • @andysimmons2648
    @andysimmons2648 2 роки тому +1

    I have to take my hat off to you. I’m a slow reader and it would take me years to get through the books you discussed in this video. I’m two books into the Collapsing Empire series and am really enjoying it. I do see what you mean about the first book being the best; hopefully the third will impress me more than you. As for long books, being a slow reader I generally go for mid level ones but I thoroughly loved the Dragonbone Chair series by Tad Williams. If you haven’t read it, it’s worth a read. I think its the best fantasy series I’ve read. I love Tolkien but prefer Tad Williams’ writing.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks Yeah I've had a lot of reading time lately so I thought it was a good opportunity to tackle the bigger books on my tbr

  • @ashokindigo886
    @ashokindigo886 2 роки тому

    Most Books by Neal Stephenson - Seveneves 880 pages, Anathem 1083 pages, Reamde 1055, Cryptonomicon 1168 pages., Termination shock 716 pages

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Yes Stephenson is definitely the way to go for big books

  • @PieGuyBill
    @PieGuyBill 2 роки тому +2

    Hi Rachel, I'm a fairly new subscriber..love your reviews. Just wanted to comment on big books. I read a lot of them. I read mostly horror and my favorite book is "The Witching Hour" by Anne Rice. It is about 1000 pages. Never get tired of reading due to length because I love her writing style..I have read it 3 times.. Reading style to me is as important as the story. It just seems that most of the books I like happen to be big.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +2

      Thank you and I appreciate the recommendation. Embarrassingly I haven't read any Rice yet

    • @Seven-Planets-Sci-Fi-Tuber
      @Seven-Planets-Sci-Fi-Tuber 2 роки тому +1

      I loved The Witching Hour and many other Anne Rice books. She has fallen under the radar, but she's a brilliant writer.

  • @peterlightning9235
    @peterlightning9235 2 роки тому +1

    At some point you have to cover a book by Scott Sigler. Like INFECTED, EARTHCORE, ACESTOR, or NOCTURNAL. He writes Horror Sci Fi. It's a genre that I absolutely love.
    P.S. I've been listening to Seveneves due to your recommendation. I'm liking it a lot. Thanks.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      So glad you're enjoying Seveneves... and yes I seriously should read some Scott Sigler

  • @FrostaWingsIt
    @FrostaWingsIt 2 роки тому +1

    Love this video! I won’t lie, I’m intimidated by chunky books - I’m not very patient when I’m into a book and my heart can’t take having to wait!
    And thanks for the earworm! I have been singing the verse since yesterday as your video title! I don’t think I’ll get go back! Hahhaha

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Haha I couldn't help but bad a nod to that classic song 😄

  • @SufficientlyAdvancedLena
    @SufficientlyAdvancedLena 2 роки тому

    uhhh I still need to read XX , it's been sitting on my shelves since it came out 😅
    Also The Collapsing Empire was great! I really need to continue reading the series (I'll be cautious with the final book)
    I think The Veiled Throne feels quite meandering because it was suposed to be only one book with Speaking Bones

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Ooo I'd love to see what you think of XX... and yes I'm sure you're right about The Dandelion Dynasty... so anxious for book 4

  • @gon8go
    @gon8go 2 роки тому +1

    I wonder sometimes if its marketing pushing the trend for modern SFF books to be overlong. Many times when I read a book that's over 700 pages it seems like there was a great 400 page novel in it dragged down with padding and irrelevant sub plots.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Yeah I am finding that some of these books could be shorter

  • @TuftyMcTavish
    @TuftyMcTavish 2 роки тому

    📚 I too decided to read chonkier books this year! So I dropped my GR Reading Challenge goal to reduce the stress. Because of delving into BookTube this holiday I now have an enormous number of Fantasy chonkers on my TBR which are just daunting otherwise. Thanks, BookTube! 😆

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Good luck to both of us! And I think it's smart to take the pressure off with a manageable reading goal

  • @UncleMonk23
    @UncleMonk23 2 роки тому

    I Love big books and actively search them out…
    They are easier to find in the fantasy genre than the SciFi genre but those usually tend to be longer series and that’s also something I actively seek out as well…The horror genre is not littered with many really big books other than Stephen King or long series either for that matter but I also read as many of them as I can find but it’s just there haven’t been to many contemporary long horror novels or series released in the last 10 years but would love some titles if you know of some…I haven’t heard of XX and it has me intrigued and I do plan on picking it up…
    I like Neal Stephenson but his style is an acquired taste and doesn’t always appeal to everyone…
    Kevin J Anderson is a mystery to me…I guess I just don’t get it when it comes to his popularity…I don’t see where it comes from…I see him as his very best books are 3 ⭐️ so that’s average at best and most
    I find and put in the 1-2 ⭐️ range…
    The Star Wars books he wrote are considered the worst in the series and his co authoring of Dune is well the worst of that series too…I have stopped even trying to read his books anymore..But thank you for the XX recommendation and keep up the good works 👍🏻

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Ooo I love that you actively seek out big books. I hope you enjoy XX. And I know what you mean about Anderson. I know to avoid his Dune books and I've also heard that his Jedi Search books are absolutely terrible. Why is he popular?

    • @UncleMonk23
      @UncleMonk23 2 роки тому

      @@TheShadesofOrange Anderson has published over 140 books, over 50 of which have been on US and international bestseller lists, and he has sold more than 23 million books in print worldwide in 30 languages…Based on what I have read I sure don’t understand it…Kudos to him on his success but it sure as Hell is a mystery to me as to why…He must have a great publicist…😂
      I enjoy your channel keep up the good works

  • @marcyreads
    @marcyreads 2 роки тому

    Ooh XX sounds so good! I love big books so this video is for me 😍😂

  • @alynam82
    @alynam82 2 роки тому

    I'm super intimidated by Neal Stephenson, and the only way I can see myself approaching his work would be with his historical fiction (Quicksilver books). Though Rise/Fall sounds interesting, I should look into that one.
    XX seems like something I'd like. In fact, I'm currently reading Night Film 🎥 🎞, just started on Monday, and I'm really enjoying it. It's the first multimedia novel for me, that I can recall. House of Leaves seemed a bit much to me, and I quit on it a few years ago.
    Great list!! I love big books, so this captured my attention

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Yeah if you like Night Film you should definitely check out XX, it's tripy

  • @khomo12
    @khomo12 Рік тому

    Spending more time in the axiom universe...YES! 👍The alien stars...are going on my tbr📚🚀

  • @JasonsWeirdReads
    @JasonsWeirdReads 2 роки тому

    Great list and an honourable challenge to read thicker books. I might do something similar one of these years as thick books intimate me. Did you listen to The Dandelion Dynasty Series on audiobook at all? If so, are they well narrated? I ask because Michael Kramer does the narration and he can be hit or miss with me.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      I had to read them phsysically because I HATE his narration. (I know everyone loves him so I'm surprised you also find him hit or miss.) But yeah I actively avoid all his audiobooks

    • @JasonsWeirdReads
      @JasonsWeirdReads 2 роки тому

      @@TheShadesofOrange we’re definitely in the minority on that. 🤣 I’m not very keen on his narration, especially after the wheel of time books. He might get better in a different story, but I doubt it. He character voices can be really annoying.

  • @jonribeiro266
    @jonribeiro266 2 роки тому

    I'm always hesitant with big books, but I do run into a lot more books leaving me wanting more, so maybe it's time to swim to that deep end of the pool

  • @tawallah77
    @tawallah77 2 роки тому

    I have the same issue with Stephenson, he is brilliant with great concepts but the books could end sooner. But there must be something, because I still want to read his works.
    As already mentioned Peter F Hamilton has big books. But there is the issue of male gaze in his books. I always see those gripes even from male readers.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Yes! With shorter books, they would all probably be favourites

  • @axtell500
    @axtell500 2 роки тому

    Yes I agree with you on Cryptonomicon it was a tough read, if it wasnt for his style of writing which I enjoyed I probably wouldnt have finished it. I prefered the threads during World War 2. The modern part not so much - how can you make business meeting exciting 🙂

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Haha it had such cool ideas... but I just felt it was drawn out

  • @rocsimmons8535
    @rocsimmons8535 2 роки тому

    Thank you!

  • @missep1830
    @missep1830 2 роки тому

    YESSSS I loved the wrong stars and the sequels!!!

  • @flippydippy3054
    @flippydippy3054 2 роки тому

    I don't love Wil Wheaton's narration in general so I hope John Scalzi's book holds up.

  • @801walt
    @801walt Місяць тому

    Stephenson-: "Too many notes".

  • @MB-qv4zo
    @MB-qv4zo 2 роки тому

    I enjoy your reviews 👍😊

  • @leetracey9152
    @leetracey9152 2 роки тому

    Like you I came to Little Fuzzy via the Scalzi book, and though it was over a decade ago I do remember enjoying both.
    Stephenson is not a writer I enjoy as the one book of his I have read and only because it won either the Hugo or the Nebula) in addition to wandering off plot to give us some piece of science knowledge that is seemingly there to show us how clever he is - or something. Very much like umberto eco. And then to top it all off I didn't think Stephenson stuck his landing after all of that.
    Read the Interdependency trilogy last year and enjoyed it a lot- but it is Scalzi so why wouldn't I? 😉 As you are also a fan of Him in general I have not long finished The Androids Dream, whose story is set in motion by one of the funniest assassinations you will ever read.
    RE Anderson I hate when I get authors like him who are basically mediocre but I can't walk away until I know the outcome😠
    Looking to expand your chunky sf reading I would highly recommend Gary Gibson's debut, Dakota Merrick trilogy (stealing Light, The Nova War and Empire of Light) about 600 odd pages each and well paced.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Thanks for the recs! And yes Andersons books were so mediocre but I just kept reading...

  • @fiberartsyreads
    @fiberartsyreads 2 роки тому

    🚀🚀 I want to get to The Alien Stars soon

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      Ooh yes! You've finished the whole trilogy so you should check it out

  • @Jzscrstsprstr
    @Jzscrstsprstr 2 роки тому

    Heh, big books are not for me.
    I think you left out the "no" in Cryptonomicon (like Lovecraft's Necronomicon)

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Lol yeah I did a million "takes" and eventually just gave up 😄

  • @Seven-Planets-Sci-Fi-Tuber
    @Seven-Planets-Sci-Fi-Tuber 2 роки тому

    Swan Song by Robert McCammon is vastly superior to The Stand which started great and went nowhere.
    So far everybody who read both prefer Swan Song.🚀

  • @thecryptile
    @thecryptile 2 роки тому

    If you haven't read The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe yet, you're missing out!

  • @shawnturpin197
    @shawnturpin197 2 роки тому

    Came here to make the obvious joke but everyone beat me to it. Dammit! Great video though.

  • @rivendellstarlight
    @rivendellstarlight 2 роки тому

    Super agree on Neal Stephenson! I read Seven Eves recently and though I liked the concept and was impressed by the hard sci-fi, it was wayyyy too detailed and persnickety, it really needed some serious editing because the pacing was horrendous due to the oversharing of technological details.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому +1

      Yes with editing down, I feel like his books with all be 5 star reads for me

  • @LizardQueen_99
    @LizardQueen_99 2 роки тому

    👌

  • @darren2880
    @darren2880 2 роки тому

    👍

  • @zubaerchaudhari8267
    @zubaerchaudhari8267 2 роки тому

    Hey

  • @JashanaC
    @JashanaC 2 роки тому

    🐣

  • @aliciacampos5789
    @aliciacampos5789 2 роки тому

    👍🏽

  • @vinsanity982
    @vinsanity982 2 роки тому

    they say big books have big covers

  • @jfvirey
    @jfvirey 2 роки тому

    You wouldn't have picked up XX if it wasn't XXL.

  • @jamesbaird1342
    @jamesbaird1342 2 роки тому

    🐱🐧

  • @aaronsmylie3317
    @aaronsmylie3317 2 роки тому

    : )

  • @holydissolution85
    @holydissolution85 2 роки тому

    I severly disliked Kevin J Anderson....I imagined him like Grima Wormtongue , whispering in Brian Herbert's ear : " Listen to me....we're gonna destroy your daddy's legacy together....join the dark side...."....and then recently I heard something about him by way of Brandon Sanderson : Kevin J goes on this long hikes in mountains and has a voice to text machine with him, and he writes/speaks his books while hiking......What a great way to live and work ! He can" t be all that bad...

  • @LiteratureScienceAlliance
    @LiteratureScienceAlliance 2 роки тому

    Bummer that both you and Bethany struggled with the starless crown, I was looking forward to it if the buzz was good but based off both your reviews probably going to pass

  • @toddbutler3341
    @toddbutler3341 2 роки тому

    Do you have the ability to tell falsehoods?

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      ?

    • @toddbutler3341
      @toddbutler3341 2 роки тому

      @@TheShadesofOrange You like big books, can you tell falsehoods? Can you tell lies? Because I like big things and cannot lie.

    • @TheShadesofOrange
      @TheShadesofOrange  2 роки тому

      @@toddbutler3341LOL! You are too clever for me

  • @lda1737
    @lda1737 2 роки тому

    👍