I love the way you made me like thin books again. The Last Castle, High-Rise, Blood Music, Hothouse, Drowned World, and so on.... Good luck on your journey!
I've become repeatedly embroiled in 500-1,000 pg tomes....and some of them have been good! But I've long maintained that if you can't say it in 250 pages or less, you're not going to.
There's countless thinner sci fi books that are well worth your time - & in this day & age, they're a lot less time consuming. Not sure why todays readers wastes 10x the amount of time when they can get their sci fi fix in more convenient & time saving fashion. - The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance Is another good example - it packs more visionary ideas & action in it's 100 pages than most padded trilogies...
There is a point in The Sparrow where the character, who is an obvious stand-in for the author, says to another character "it's all rock 'n roll to me". That was literally the last page I read.
The Sparrow is my favorite singular book. It is always interesting when someone has basically the opposite view of your own. Never knew you had another channel, will check it out.
Me too… The Sparrow was one of my favorite books of all time…. and its sequel. It is one of the few novels that truly affected me. I love nearly all science fiction but I find this guy’s channel interesting bc he & I have the exact opposite opinions about every sci fi book. I like the longer the better sci fi… LOVE Peter F. Hamilton for example… he likes super short novels. His fav is an antiquated novel of Robert sheckley, many of which I think are very hokey and much more fantasy than than sci fi. Funny how you can love the same narrow genre but have exact opposite tastes! It’s enlightening.
Sci-Fi is a bit like music - those of us who like it have strong opinions about what we like and dislike. I’m commenting because I, too, love “The Sparrow” and find it touches my questions about the nature of ethical behavior on a deep level. Readers with whom I’ve discussed it who don’t like it have told me they think it is more theology/philosophy masquerading as Sci-Fi, but to me any type of speculative literature should comment on ethical matters at some level (otherwise it is all just action and starship battles). “The Sparrow” is one of those books I revisit every other year or so for a reread. I find it fascinating that Russell explores the question of whether there is an ultimate ethical good (or bad), or whether good, bad, moral, or immoral are constructs of the situations and environments in which cultures or sentient beings evolve. Oddly, I am not a huge fan of the sequel. I think Russell said everything she needed to say with the original, and the sequel doesn’t break a lot of new ground for me, although I do re-read it from time to time. Just a few thoughts. This book flies under the radar in a lot of Sci-Fi criticism videos, and I am happy to see it discussed here, even if the discussion isn’t positive. As I said at the beginning, we all have our likes and dislikes!
@@billiejowhite3638 This is kind of a “p s” to my post below. I reread your post and saw your mention of Hamilton and lengthy books. I agree with you completely. Hamilton is a much maligned writer who is often criticized for length and overwriting. These are valid criticisms, but you can say much the same of Tolstoy and Hugo! I also think Hamilton is one of the most imaginative writers currently putting out product. I thought his “Salvation” trilogy brilliant and have read him voraciously since discovering his massive “Neutronium Alchemist “ series a couple of decades ago. One can just get lost in his novels and I love his character growth and development. His work demands attention from the reader, which is sometimes difficult to maintain over several thousand pages, but well worth the effort. A very similar writer (and another of my favorites) is Alastair Reynolds. I would recommend him to anyone who likes Hamilton.
I just finished reading The Sparrow and I also have exact opposite views to BookPilled it turns out. I was absolutely floored by the prose, the characters, and the themes.
Your reviews on bad books by providing effortless depth on your criticism helps a lot. You're hilariously good at it lol. You provide enough information to let us understand why things are bad.
Since you’ll be Kindling a lot of books, you’ll be pleased to find lots of cheap vintage SF via the Gateway Essentials series. I’ve been reading some great Silverberg novels that way.
This guy is like the Surly, Cool older brother I never had. To think if I could go back in time, and make Bookpilled my older brother, I might have actually been able to spend my pre-marriage years (the years when you actually get to do stuff for yourself) reading and watching the coolest stuff ever!!! But alas I found you 30 years too late my dear older brother. 30 years too late... but, there is hope, I have found you so now I can spend what remaining time I have in this crazy journey of life, reading the coolest god darn sci fi ever!
BP you have saved me from wasting precious time on bad books countless times. And your sometimes brutal honesty and unapologetic assertions and reasons as to why you like and why you dislike any book gives me confidence when I say "I guess I won't be reading Sparrow"! Cheers.
Wow. I've never been able to convince myself to read The Sparrow because I've never read or heard a review that really talked about how good it is as a book. They just talk about the philosophy and the ending. Yours is the first that told me what I wanted to know, and now I know I would have hated it. Thank you. Best of luck on your next step in life's great adventure!
Your favorite artwork has a coat hanger on it, feel like that could be the subconscious kicking in after all those years of reselling clothes! Totally agree about the "one up" dialogue, it almost never works in novels and barely works for some TV. And at least Sci-fireplace will live on in your past videos, she will be discovered by someone looking up science fiction book hauls on UA-cam in 2030.
That is not Sheckley's best work, that's his late work which critics generally think didn't live up to his earlier bettef work. He is a master short story writer. Untouched by human hands may be a good start.
I like the idea of multiple channels(the sci-fi alliance) all releasing a review for a book at the same time. It works in that I do feel compelled to see the other reviews and what the contrast is.
Thank you for bringing thin books to our attention. English is my second language and I'm quite a slow reader as a result, and I feel like everyone around me only talks about massive bricks and I just have a hard time joining in. Great thin books are what I'm constantly on the lookout for. (French is my first language, I didn't really chuckled at your Pas de Trois but I technically chuckled)
I e only read 2 Robert Sheckley short stories, but I enjoyed them both. "Cost of Living" was thought provoking and "The Same to You Doubled" was downright hilarious. One of my favorite short stories ever
Matt, I think you’re the Maverick afoot for the Science fiction, book tubers. Ergo, your love for Jack Vance. I hope you’re gonna stay around. I love your reviews and the no nonsense approach you take.👍✌️
Hah, listening to your takes always has an entertaining frisson - will you despise a book I loved or not ? Though in fairness, I haven't re-read "The Sparrow" since it came out so who knows... (so far the answer is usually "yes if the book is from the last 30 years, about 50/50 otherwise" :) ((where we _do_ often agree though is, a good author can do pretty much everything in 150-200 pages that some use 1,000 for))
Hey, I just joined your channel. I love how succinct you are during your reviews. Many other channels prattle on for hours with too much filler. I’d like to see you do a series of videos for the Top 10 Sci-Fi Novels from every decade. Ie “1940’s Top 10 Must have books in your collection” …etc. I think that would be a ton of fun. Keep the great reviews coming.
The Sparrow won several awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award and The James Tiptree Jr. Award. Of course, a reader's opinion is, for him or her, the only important measurement of satisfaction and approval, and I respect yours. I liked the book.
I wish I'd thought of book journaling when I was a kid/young teen. I read fantasy & sci-fi almost exclusively and only remember a small handful of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hope your move goes well and you enjoy your new home.
I recently discovered your channel. I wish you the best of luck with your journey! You gave me the desire to take up reading again - I thank you! I appreciate the ways you talk about books - I have picked up a few of your favorites..Hope to see another video of yours soon - be safe - take care!
I’m happy to see you and Moid essentially in a three-legged race to 100k with excellent content on both channels (meanwhile the rest of UA-cam seems like entrants in a potato sack “race” in random directions.) Long live the Sci-Fi(Al)liance even as the Sci-Fireplace fades into legend!
Finally! Someone says that The Sparrow sucks! I thought I was going insane as everyone was praising it as the best thing in the world. It's masochist soft porn! It's like 50 Shades of Grey for religious intellectuals.
If I could humbly give you a suggestion for a place to visit . The island of Fernando de Noronha in Brazil. It’s breathtaking and very well maintained by the Brazilian government. Beautiful and war beaches , lots of fruits , great fauna , soft sand …happy travels and I’ll be eagerly waiting to find out where is your next destination!
Your reviews click with me and without having read the books I intuit that I would have a similar reaction. So thanks for putting me off of books I probably never would have encountered anyway! And for reminding me to get reading Jack Vance. A glimpse of shared internal humanity is one of the best reasons to read and if we can’t get it from a book I appreciate getting it from a book review.
I am in a publishing course at my college, and for an assignment today we were asked to share our favorite book reviewers. I shared your channel with my class, mentioning your ability to find interesting work and articulate your opinion about it. Thanks for the videos, I hope your travels fare well.
I have read The Last Castle. It was in my teens so I really don't remember anything about it. I do remember parts of The Dying Earth, though. Loved it.
"Since we have no future, let us drink to a glorious past!" from The Last Castle (I read it in translation, so I'm not sure if that's the exact line). I love Jack Vance, there can never be too many reviews of his works to help new readers discover them!
I agree with you - The Sparrow was painful to read and I will never reread it. I generally don't like mixing religion and science fiction. I think A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller and A Case of Conscience by James Blish did it better.
Thanks Matt! This was great! We will miss you , Bon Voyage! (We'll also appreciate your video uploads from small Chiba City coffin hotels and crowded, damp, Indonesian hostelries - so don't let the search for beach front slow you down. .. )
Mate I just found you this afternoon and now you are off travelling? Not had that happen before. I think I have viddied quite a few of your excellent and informative videos today. You’re right about The Sparrow btw. Dragged myself through it to be seriously let down and even shocked at the end. Bon Voyage sir!
RE: The Sparrow -- thank god I'm not the only one who didn't like it. I actually DNF'd it, could not get through it. Looking forward to hearing much tell of your travels. Bon voyage!
I used to struggle with Sheckley and although I don't consider him very front rank, I can see his virtues now- though his episodic plotting, lack of patience with conventional narrative and subsequent focus can be hard to take. For me his best books are 'The Status Civilisation', 'Dimension of Miracles' (definitely where Douglas Adams found some ideas), 'The Tenth Victim' and 'The Alchemical Marriage of Alistair Crompton' aka 'Crompton Divided'). I found the stories uneven too. But to me he's in the tradition of Twain and is an important precursor of George Saunders, whom the contemporary literati seem to think is stunningly original. Great vid as ever, Matt.
Don't worry about being a downer, sometimes it's nice to grant something to the people that couldn't get into a widely praised book. The Sparrow was certainly that for me. It might not be trying to proselytize, but I think the premise of the book only really works if you have on some level internalized that particular theological worldview. The "Problem of Evil" is only a problem if you've made a load of questionable assumptions beforehand. Also as a matter of personal taste, I also find it hard when a story insists that we sympathize with a character who is suffering from the consequences of their own obviously terrible decisions. The Sparrow starts with the ham-fisted foreshadowing of a character who paid for their terrible decisions and wrestling with a problem that is only a problem because of their bad assumptions. The book stumbled at the first hurdle and the glacial pace meant that I stumbled in finishing it. I threw in the towel and read the cliff notes.
Without this channel I wouldn't have checked out old sci-fi I saw reviewed or mentioned here, and I wouldn't currently be enjoying Night Walk by Bob Shaw which is great! Happy travels.
For Sheckley, I recommend the novel “Immortality Inc.” and the story collection “Untouched by Human Hands,” which I suspect you would like a lot more. I would say he is darkly, satirically humorous - not interested primarily in getting laughs, as Adams is.
I agree. I ran across a used PB copy of "Untouched by Human Hands" around 1964 and was a Sheckley fan forevermore. Adams ripped off so many story ideas from Sheckley it was close to outright plagiarism, but Sheckley's style was dark, edgy, and much more intelligent by comparison. Strongly recommend his short stories and novels from the 50s and 60s.
@@Bookpilled Vienna is the top rated city in Europe. They have been investing in housing since WW1. In Colombia Medellin, and lots of places in Mexico. Guadalajara is good in the right neighborhoods.
Hello thank you SO MUCH for your Sparrow review I am reading it currently and the characters and terrible dialogue are infuriating ! It was recommended super highly to me and there are so many glowing positive reviews very relieved to know it’s not just me
I couldn't get into the Sparrow, either, though my daughter loves it. I am an incredible admirer of Mary's historical fiction, though. Phenomenal writing, which is why I was surprised by the klunkiness of Sparrow.
This is my SHINING suggestion with the quiet space you are about to have on the road, you should consider your pen at writing a novel or a memoir; because I don't need to flatter you when I say 👉🏾 you are too sophisticated a reader to not leave anything good if not ingeniously amazing behind. The only challenge with well read book lovers is the frustration of making " a perfect book" Look at the bright side you've read enough to have a solid idea of what works and what doesn't. Plus appreciation is subjective so don't sweat the haters. "Don't fear perfection, you will never attain it" ~Salvador Dali.
I have not read the Sheckley anthology you reviewed. I looked it up and most of its stories were first published near 1970. I know him from earlier works from the 1950s and early 1960s. It is quite possible if you read those you would see why Douglas Adams was a fan of his work. Robert's biggest claim to fame is his novel _Immorality, Inc._ (1959, aka _Time Killer,_ which was the title under which it received the 1959 Hugo Award). It was butchered into the movie _Freejack._ The original was darkly and satirically humorous, addressing themes of life and death. They made the movie into a generic action flick with "futuristic" cars (cheap- and dumb-looking shells over motorcycles). The cast included Mick Jagger and Anthony Hopkins, so that was at least something in its favor.
They are often printed together because they are similar in world building & tone...So, if you liked " The Last Castle " you're going to like " The Dragon Masters " & " The Miracle Workers " by Vance...
Humour is very subjective isn’t it. I really like Sheckley and like that book in particular. I do love the way you review books though, even if I disagree. Great video.
Read The Sparrow for our coworker book club. 6 out of 10 being charitable. Took waaaaay to long to get up to speed, to the point and (spoiler) to the planet. The conclusion felt rushed and weak and thrown together. The lack or avoidance of some basic science principles was painful. (Spoiler) By the time you get a large boulder converted into a mining spacecraft up to near light speed, you would pass the destination up to slow down enough to search for an Earth like planet. I must say there were some interesting and unique (for the 1990's) plot points was basically the things that dragged me to the end. Have not and have no plans to read the sequel. Thanks for your analysis. Good luck with the changes and next chapters of your journey.
Sounds like really interesting times ahead for you. Utmost respect for goign ahead with this decision to travel. Disappointed to hear that The Sparrow is like this. I have been considering reading it for a while now. I still probably will, but the quippy sort of dialogue you describe is something I also hate, so that's definitely not great to hear. Can You Feel Anything...was my first exposure to Sheckley, when I was pretty young, and something about the book really stuck with me. i re-read some of it recentlya nd, well, i still like it. I do think Sheckley was pretty great at writing clever short stories, but I also understand; they're not all hits, and maybe I just discovered him (and this book) at the right time. Love The Dragon m Masters and The Last Castle. Great, tight Vance works full of amazing detail.
The funniest sci-fi thing I have ever read, is, of all things, a Star Trek novel called "How Much For Just The Planet ", by John M Ford. It starts off like what could be a slightly tongue in cheek Star Trek episode, and descends into absolute slapstick chaos.
I can’t remember if I ever read “The Last Castle” way back in the 70’s. But I want to take the opportunity to gush, yes gush over another Jack Vance novella: “The Moon Moth.” It is one of the best, best, best(!) sci-fi stories ever written. It is about an alien planet with humanoid beings, whose culture, and social order is so different from anything I’d ever read before, down to the way they communicate with each other. The world building alone, in a fairly short tale, is amazing enough, but it’s also a murder mystery on a planet where identity is a complex thing. It is part of The SF Hall of Fame series, which I got for Xmas one year and this story has stayed with me and never dulled. I want to believe Delaney had it in mind when he wrote “Helix…” You make me want to read more Vance. As far as Sheckly, I have to agree with you. I remember thinking I would get into him because I liked Vonnegut so much, but usually ended up let down when I attempted to read him. Anyway, good luck. I only found your channel about a month ago and really appreciate your honesty. There have been many a book that I’ve put down unfinished or slogged through, only to say “what a piece of shit.” Cheers!
Probably gonna avoid The Sparrow as I generally am in tune with your likes and dislikes. Sheckley was my one favourites from that era, but not as good as Silverberg or Aldiss, I agree. I've still got 4-5 of his short story collections. And I just ordered Jack Vance's "Tales of the Dying Earth" Was that also a collection of short stories originally? I wonder what will turn up. Good luck on your "walkabout". "Skitt fiske" ! - a Norwegian anti-jinx wish.
I read the Hitchhiker's Guide and Red Dwarf novels many years ago and they were quite funny to me at the time. I know they're not science fiction but Thomas Sharpe books are outrageously funny.
I did read The Sparrow for it's much-vaunted intersection of religion and science fiction. It raises some interesting theological questions... then just leaves them dangling. It seems like an experience like this would make an atheist out of the most devout believer. But geology, dinosaur bones, and space exploration has not yet made atheists out of them. This story also reminds me of Alive! the famous plane crash that resulted in gruesome cannibalism. Under the circumstances some of the survivors lost their faith, while others came away feeling their faith strengthened, deepened, or galvanized somehow. It doesn't matter what we learn about the world or the universe, it doesn't matter how evil other people are, or what disasters befall us, it doesn't seem to affect people's beliefs in an omniscient omnipotent patriarchal monotheism. Unfortunately in the end Maria Doria Russell didn't seem to have anything interesting to say about any of these things. For example, what if God is real but can't leave Earth? Or what if creatures on another planet worship a god who is actually physically corporeal there? Not simply an image or a concept? Should humans then also worship that god? Does each planet or each alien race have their own Heaven and their own Hell to go to in the Afterlife? Or will we all be lumped together with every kind of extraterrestrial in the Afterlife? What if aliens simply misunderstood the phrase "drink of my blood and eat my of flesh, do these things in remembrance of me"? What if aliens had a more sophisticated nuanced understanding of good and evil, right and wrong, than God-fearing Earthlings do? None of these questions were addressed whatsoever. It's like Russell's notion of God is something like C.S.Lewis's Aslan character: of course he's REAL! But he shows up when he feels like it, or not at all.
I’m with you 100% on The Sparrow. I hated that book with a passion. I don’t know why but I forced myself to finish it. I swore I’d never read another one of her books.
I'm sure a lot of us would like to know where you're heading. Are you planning to share some of the details? I hadn't heard of digital nomadism before so I went to check out some videos on the topic. I've been to 4 countries in Southeast Asia and the cost of living makes it so you can live like a king, but the tropical heat is hard to get used to, that was nearly 20 years ago on my last visit. I live in the Houston area and the heat here is pretty bad, but it felt worse there if I recollect, and closer to the equator, like Bali, it's the same all year.
I see the point of both why people love The Sparrow and why you hate it - personally I gave up halfway through because of the horrible pacing and getting frustrated with the characters, but then returned to it years later and really liked it. My feeling is that though the pacing is horrible and the foreshadowing excessive, the themes it explores are actually really powerful and I've written analyses of it before, just saying it's just "bad things happen is God good" undersells some of the other more complex stuff going on with it. Though in some way it was a book more fun to write essays about than read.
Can't agree about characterization in The Sparrow: I found the characters plausible enough and entertaining. The dialogue? Here I agree there was way too much wittiness and I found myself skipping more and more of it as I went along. And there was too much of much the same topics being discussed. Still, overall, I enjoyed the story, and the thoughts of the characters that often set me to thinking about myself and people I know. Now do I appreciate bookpilled less? Nope. Still love the reviews chocked with food for thought.
Man I wish you luck! You are one booktuber that i skip everyone else to watch your videos first. If you ever travel to eastern europe(balkans aka serbia, bosnia, croatia, bulgaria and etc.) let me know and i can fill you in on certain spots. Been there done that since im Serbian myself. Again, i am happy you are living the life I would love to live, but sad I wint get videos from you to the same extent/content as often.
Is there somewhere I can send you a picture? I converted our mantle to a sci-fireplace in honor of yours being retired. As we all know, imitation is the sincerest form of copyright infringement.
Do you know if there is any market for back issues of Analog Science Fiction magazine? I just cleaned out my dad's room and he had hundreds of them going back to the late 60's, all in good shape. My brother wanted me to preserve dad's sci fi collection (it's at least x10 the sci-fireplace) but I don't think he cares about the magazines.
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Sue me, I like it when you talk about books you don't like, and I'm impressed by how articulate you are with your distaste. Brings a smile to my face.
I love the way you made me like thin books again. The Last Castle, High-Rise, Blood Music, Hothouse, Drowned World, and so on.... Good luck on your journey!
I've become repeatedly embroiled in 500-1,000 pg tomes....and some of them have been good! But I've long maintained that if you can't say it in 250 pages or less, you're not going to.
Just started reading a thin copy of the dying earth with the coolest cover and small font and it feels good to hold it in my hands.
There's countless thinner sci fi books that are well worth your time - & in this day & age, they're a lot less time consuming.
Not sure why todays readers wastes 10x the amount of time when they can get their sci fi fix in more convenient & time saving fashion. - The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance Is another good example - it packs more visionary ideas & action in it's 100 pages than most padded trilogies...
There is a point in The Sparrow where the character, who is an obvious stand-in for the author, says to another character "it's all rock 'n roll to me". That was literally the last page I read.
The Sparrow is my favorite singular book. It is always interesting when someone has basically the opposite view of your own.
Never knew you had another channel, will check it out.
Me too… The Sparrow was one of my favorite books of all time…. and its sequel. It is one of the few novels that truly affected me. I love nearly all science fiction but I find this guy’s channel interesting bc he & I have the exact opposite opinions about every sci fi book. I like the longer the better sci fi… LOVE Peter F. Hamilton for example… he likes super short novels. His fav is an antiquated novel of Robert sheckley, many of which I think are very hokey and much more fantasy than than sci fi. Funny how you can love the same narrow genre but have exact opposite tastes! It’s enlightening.
Sci-Fi is a bit like music - those of us who like it have strong opinions about what we like and dislike. I’m commenting because I, too, love “The Sparrow” and find it touches my questions about the nature of ethical behavior on a deep level. Readers with whom I’ve discussed it who don’t like it have told me they think it is more theology/philosophy masquerading as Sci-Fi, but to me any type of speculative literature should comment on ethical matters at some level (otherwise it is all just action and starship battles). “The Sparrow” is one of those books I revisit every other year or so for a reread. I find it fascinating that Russell explores the question of whether there is an ultimate ethical good (or bad), or whether good, bad, moral, or immoral are constructs of the situations and environments in which cultures or sentient beings evolve. Oddly, I am not a huge fan of the sequel. I think Russell said everything she needed to say with the original, and the sequel doesn’t break a lot of new ground for me, although I do re-read it from time to time. Just a few thoughts. This book flies under the radar in a lot of Sci-Fi criticism videos, and I am happy to see it discussed here, even if the discussion isn’t positive. As I said at the beginning, we all have our likes and dislikes!
@@billiejowhite3638 This is kind of a “p s” to my post below. I reread your post and saw your mention of Hamilton and lengthy books. I agree with you completely. Hamilton is a much maligned writer who is often criticized for length and overwriting. These are valid criticisms, but you can say much the same of Tolstoy and Hugo! I also think Hamilton is one of the most imaginative writers currently putting out product. I thought his “Salvation” trilogy brilliant and have read him voraciously since discovering his massive “Neutronium Alchemist “ series a couple of decades ago. One can just get lost in his novels and I love his character growth and development. His work demands attention from the reader, which is sometimes difficult to maintain over several thousand pages, but well worth the effort. A very similar writer (and another of my favorites) is Alastair Reynolds. I would recommend him to anyone who likes Hamilton.
I just finished reading The Sparrow and I also have exact opposite views to BookPilled it turns out. I was absolutely floored by the prose, the characters, and the themes.
RIP Sci-Fireplace. Good luck on your next endeavor. Looking forward to your future reviews, and anything else you have planned.
Sad to see the end of the Sci-Fireplace but good luck on your new adventure!
I understand how it doesn’t work for folks, however I really like Robert Sheckley’s writing. I really like his odd humour.
Your reviews on bad books by providing effortless depth on your criticism helps a lot. You're hilariously good at it lol. You provide enough information to let us understand why things are bad.
What I remember about The Sparrow was how the characters constantly laughed hysterically at their own jokes. Rather leave that to the reader.
And none of the jokes are remotely funny.
Since you’ll be Kindling a lot of books, you’ll be pleased to find lots of cheap vintage SF via the Gateway Essentials series. I’ve been reading some great Silverberg novels that way.
This guy is like the Surly, Cool older brother I never had. To think if I could go back in time, and make Bookpilled my older brother, I might have actually been able to spend my pre-marriage years (the years when you actually get to do stuff for yourself) reading and watching the coolest stuff ever!!! But alas I found you 30 years too late my dear older brother. 30 years too late... but, there is hope, I have found you so now I can spend what remaining time I have in this crazy journey of life, reading the coolest god darn sci fi ever!
BP you have saved me from wasting precious time on bad books countless times. And your sometimes brutal honesty and unapologetic assertions and reasons as to why you like and why you dislike any book gives me confidence when I say "I guess I won't be reading Sparrow"! Cheers.
I wish you the absolute best on your journey. Really excited to see book reviews in front of pyramids and ruins.
I’m happy you are living your life the way you want!!! Inspirational!
Wow. I've never been able to convince myself to read The Sparrow because I've never read or heard a review that really talked about how good it is as a book. They just talk about the philosophy and the ending. Yours is the first that told me what I wanted to know, and now I know I would have hated it. Thank you.
Best of luck on your next step in life's great adventure!
Your favorite artwork has a coat hanger on it, feel like that could be the subconscious kicking in after all those years of reselling clothes! Totally agree about the "one up" dialogue, it almost never works in novels and barely works for some TV. And at least Sci-fireplace will live on in your past videos, she will be discovered by someone looking up science fiction book hauls on UA-cam in 2030.
That is not Sheckley's best work, that's his late work which critics generally think didn't live up to his earlier bettef work. He is a master short story writer. Untouched by human hands may be a good start.
Omg thank you... I thought I was alone on my feelings about the Sparrow
I'm a humerus writer, but I have dyslexia; my characters don't have arcs, they just have cars.
I like the idea of multiple channels(the sci-fi alliance) all releasing a review for a book at the same time. It works in that I do feel compelled to see the other reviews and what the contrast is.
Thank you for bringing thin books to our attention. English is my second language and I'm quite a slow reader as a result, and I feel like everyone around me only talks about massive bricks and I just have a hard time joining in. Great thin books are what I'm constantly on the lookout for.
(French is my first language, I didn't really chuckled at your Pas de Trois but I technically chuckled)
I e only read 2 Robert Sheckley short stories, but I enjoyed them both. "Cost of Living" was thought provoking and "The Same to You Doubled" was downright hilarious. One of my favorite short stories ever
Blasphemy, quite literally
Beginning my fast for penance now
Matt, I think you’re the Maverick afoot for the Science fiction, book tubers. Ergo, your love for Jack Vance. I hope you’re gonna stay around. I love your reviews and the no nonsense approach you take.👍✌️
I have only recently found your channel and it has reawakened my love for classic SF. Thanks and Bon Voyage.
I would love to see a video on your opinions on different authors you run across regularly. Would be a great resource for new collectors like myself.
Could not stand and DNFed The Sparrow.
Appreciate that you're prepared to give a real opinion, not every book read will, or should get a pass grade.
Hah, listening to your takes always has an entertaining frisson - will you despise a book I loved or not ? Though in fairness, I haven't re-read "The Sparrow" since it came out so who knows...
(so far the answer is usually "yes if the book is from the last 30 years, about 50/50 otherwise" :)
((where we _do_ often agree though is, a good author can do pretty much everything in 150-200 pages that some use 1,000 for))
Hey, I just joined your channel. I love how succinct you are during your reviews. Many other channels prattle on for hours with too much filler. I’d like to see you do a series of videos for the Top 10 Sci-Fi Novels from every decade. Ie “1940’s Top 10 Must have books in your collection” …etc. I think that would be a ton of fun. Keep the great reviews coming.
The Sparrow won several awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award and The James Tiptree Jr. Award. Of course, a reader's opinion is, for him or her, the only important measurement of satisfaction and approval, and I respect yours. I liked the book.
I wish I'd thought of book journaling when I was a kid/young teen. I read fantasy & sci-fi almost exclusively and only remember a small handful of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hope your move goes well and you enjoy your new home.
R.I.P. to the Sci-Fireplace. Love your shit, man. Looking forward to how the channel continues to grow and change
I recently discovered your channel. I wish you the best of luck with your journey! You gave me the desire to take up reading again - I thank you! I appreciate the ways you talk about books - I have picked up a few of your favorites..Hope to see another video of yours soon - be safe - take care!
I just bought one of Mary Doria Russell's western novels. Now you've got me questioning that decision. Good luck to you!
I'm so happy to hear that, in my failure (despite great effort) to finish The Sparrow, I am not just a lazy reader. 😎
I’m happy to see you and Moid essentially in a three-legged race to 100k with excellent content on both channels (meanwhile the rest of UA-cam seems like entrants in a potato sack “race” in random directions.) Long live the Sci-Fi(Al)liance even as the Sci-Fireplace fades into legend!
Finally! Someone says that The Sparrow sucks! I thought I was going insane as everyone was praising it as the best thing in the world. It's masochist soft porn! It's like 50 Shades of Grey for religious intellectuals.
If I could humbly give you a suggestion for a place to visit . The island of Fernando de Noronha in Brazil. It’s breathtaking and very well maintained by the Brazilian government. Beautiful and war beaches , lots of fruits , great fauna , soft sand …happy travels and I’ll be eagerly waiting to find out where is your next destination!
Your reviews click with me and without having read the books I intuit that I would have a similar reaction. So thanks for putting me off of books I probably never would have encountered anyway! And for reminding me to get reading Jack Vance.
A glimpse of shared internal humanity is one of the best reasons to read and if we can’t get it from a book I appreciate getting it from a book review.
I am in a publishing course at my college, and for an assignment today we were asked to share our favorite book reviewers. I shared your channel with my class, mentioning your ability to find interesting work and articulate your opinion about it. Thanks for the videos, I hope your travels fare well.
Just ordered the sparrow and now I’m bummed lol but I’m gonna read it anyway cause we’re all different and I may end up loving it 🤷🏽♂️
I have read The Last Castle. It was in my teens so I really don't remember anything about it. I do remember parts of The Dying Earth, though. Loved it.
"Since we have no future, let us drink to a glorious past!" from The Last Castle (I read it in translation, so I'm not sure if that's the exact line). I love Jack Vance, there can never be too many reviews of his works to help new readers discover them!
I agree with you - The Sparrow was painful to read and I will never reread it. I generally don't like mixing religion and science fiction. I think A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller and A Case of Conscience by James Blish did it better.
Thanks Matt! This was great! We will miss you , Bon Voyage!
(We'll also appreciate your video uploads from small Chiba City coffin hotels and crowded, damp, Indonesian hostelries - so don't let the search for beach front slow you down. .. )
You got me started on Jack Vance a few months ago. THANK YOU!
Mate I just found you this afternoon and now you are off travelling? Not had that happen before. I think I have viddied quite a few of your excellent and informative videos today. You’re right about The Sparrow btw. Dragged myself through it to be seriously let down and even shocked at the end. Bon Voyage sir!
I know that you're moving, but it's too bad that you can't take the fireplace/bookshelf with you. I'm gonna miss it.
Love your channel. Much luck with you new adventure. Safe travels! :)
RE: The Sparrow -- thank god I'm not the only one who didn't like it. I actually DNF'd it, could not get through it. Looking forward to hearing much tell of your travels. Bon voyage!
I used to struggle with Sheckley and although I don't consider him very front rank, I can see his virtues now- though his episodic plotting, lack of patience with conventional narrative and subsequent focus can be hard to take. For me his best books are 'The Status Civilisation', 'Dimension of Miracles' (definitely where Douglas Adams found some ideas), 'The Tenth Victim' and 'The Alchemical Marriage of Alistair Crompton' aka 'Crompton Divided'). I found the stories uneven too. But to me he's in the tradition of Twain and is an important precursor of George Saunders, whom the contemporary literati seem to think is stunningly original. Great vid as ever, Matt.
Don't worry about being a downer, sometimes it's nice to grant something to the people that couldn't get into a widely praised book. The Sparrow was certainly that for me. It might not be trying to proselytize, but I think the premise of the book only really works if you have on some level internalized that particular theological worldview. The "Problem of Evil" is only a problem if you've made a load of questionable assumptions beforehand. Also as a matter of personal taste, I also find it hard when a story insists that we sympathize with a character who is suffering from the consequences of their own obviously terrible decisions. The Sparrow starts with the ham-fisted foreshadowing of a character who paid for their terrible decisions and wrestling with a problem that is only a problem because of their bad assumptions. The book stumbled at the first hurdle and the glacial pace meant that I stumbled in finishing it. I threw in the towel and read the cliff notes.
I just discovered your channel today. Love it. Good luck on your new adventures!
You explain quite nicely why I haven't finished _The Sparrow,_ although I might revisit it just out of sense of duty.
Without this channel I wouldn't have checked out old sci-fi I saw reviewed or mentioned here, and I wouldn't currently be enjoying Night Walk by Bob Shaw which is great! Happy travels.
I enjoy how you put different covers whole talking about each book
For Sheckley, I recommend the novel “Immortality Inc.” and the story collection “Untouched by Human Hands,” which I suspect you would like a lot more. I would say he is darkly, satirically humorous - not interested primarily in getting laughs, as Adams is.
I agree. I ran across a used PB copy of "Untouched by Human Hands" around 1964 and was a Sheckley fan forevermore. Adams ripped off so many story ideas from Sheckley it was close to outright plagiarism, but Sheckley's style was dark, edgy, and much more intelligent by comparison. Strongly recommend his short stories and novels from the 50s and 60s.
Love Jack Vance's works.
Thank for all you review, I discovered some forgiven author. Good luck and have fun. The most important is the journey, not the destination.
I’m excited for you and your upcoming travels!!
Really love your reviews - keep them coming.
Good luck was a nomad for 5 years in Colombia, mexico and Europe. Happy to provide any connections or advice.
Fave city?
@@Bookpilled Vienna is the top rated city in Europe. They have been investing in housing since WW1. In Colombia Medellin, and lots of places in Mexico. Guadalajara is good in the right neighborhoods.
Hello thank you SO MUCH for your Sparrow review I am reading it currently and the characters and terrible dialogue are infuriating ! It was recommended super highly to me and there are so many glowing positive reviews very relieved to know it’s not just me
I couldn't get into the Sparrow, either, though my daughter loves it. I am an incredible admirer of Mary's historical fiction, though. Phenomenal writing, which is why I was surprised by the klunkiness of Sparrow.
The TV Voice Dialog gets a book a faster than light toss across the room and into the trash.
Don't writers read their dialogue aloud?
Well so it'll be "Blue Jacket Reviews on The Road".
Thanks for these. I turn them to mp3 and loop them to get the hook for a book.
poured out a little hennessy for the sci-fire place, 😢 will be missed greatly
This is my SHINING suggestion with the quiet space you are about to have on the road, you should consider your pen at writing a novel or a memoir; because I don't need to flatter you when I say 👉🏾 you are too sophisticated a reader to not leave anything good if not ingeniously amazing behind. The only challenge with well read book lovers is the frustration of making " a perfect book" Look at the bright side you've read enough to have a solid idea of what works and what doesn't.
Plus appreciation is subjective so don't sweat the haters.
"Don't fear perfection, you will never attain it" ~Salvador Dali.
I have not read the Sheckley anthology you reviewed. I looked it up and most of its stories were first published near 1970. I know him from earlier works from the 1950s and early 1960s. It is quite possible if you read those you would see why Douglas Adams was a fan of his work. Robert's biggest claim to fame is his novel _Immorality, Inc._ (1959, aka _Time Killer,_ which was the title under which it received the 1959 Hugo Award). It was butchered into the movie _Freejack._ The original was darkly and satirically humorous, addressing themes of life and death. They made the movie into a generic action flick with "futuristic" cars (cheap- and dumb-looking shells over motorcycles). The cast included Mick Jagger and Anthony Hopkins, so that was at least something in its favor.
They are often printed together because they are similar in world building & tone...So, if you liked " The Last Castle " you're going to like " The Dragon Masters " & " The Miracle Workers " by Vance...
Humour is very subjective isn’t it. I really like Sheckley and like that book in particular. I do love the way you review books though, even if I disagree. Great video.
The Sparrow sounds like Heinlein's The Cat who Walks through Walls and/or Friday with regard to the dialogue... I'll pass on that one.
Read The Sparrow for our coworker book club. 6 out of
10 being charitable. Took waaaaay to long to get up to speed, to the point and (spoiler) to the planet. The conclusion felt rushed and weak and thrown together. The lack or avoidance of some basic science principles was painful. (Spoiler) By the time you get a large boulder converted into a mining spacecraft up to near light speed, you would pass the destination up to slow down enough to search for an Earth like planet. I must say there were some interesting and unique (for the 1990's) plot points was basically the things that dragged me to the end. Have not and have no plans to read the sequel. Thanks for your analysis. Good luck with the changes and next chapters of your journey.
I liked "Status Civilization" by Sheckley
i loved listening to this, I still can't believe how you let go of your collection. maybe you can write your own book on your adventures!
Sounds like really interesting times ahead for you. Utmost respect for goign ahead with this decision to travel.
Disappointed to hear that The Sparrow is like this. I have been considering reading it for a while now. I still probably will, but the quippy sort of dialogue you describe is something I also hate, so that's definitely not great to hear.
Can You Feel Anything...was my first exposure to Sheckley, when I was pretty young, and something about the book really stuck with me. i re-read some of it recentlya nd, well, i still like it. I do think Sheckley was pretty great at writing clever short stories, but I also understand; they're not all hits, and maybe I just discovered him (and this book) at the right time.
Love The Dragon m Masters and The Last Castle. Great, tight Vance works full of amazing detail.
The funniest sci-fi thing I have ever read, is, of all things, a Star Trek novel called "How Much For Just The Planet ", by John M Ford. It starts off like what could be a slightly tongue in cheek Star Trek episode, and descends into absolute slapstick chaos.
I can’t remember if I ever read “The Last Castle” way back in the 70’s. But I want to take the opportunity to gush, yes gush over another Jack Vance novella: “The Moon Moth.” It is one of the best, best, best(!) sci-fi stories ever written. It is about an alien planet with humanoid beings, whose culture, and social order is so different from anything I’d ever read before, down to the way they communicate with each other. The world building alone, in a fairly short tale, is amazing enough, but it’s also a murder mystery on a planet where identity is a complex thing. It is part of The SF Hall of Fame series, which I got for Xmas one year and this story has stayed with me and never dulled. I want to believe Delaney had it in mind when he wrote “Helix…” You make me want to read more Vance. As far as Sheckly, I have to agree with you. I remember thinking I would get into him because I liked Vonnegut so much, but usually ended up let down when I attempted to read him. Anyway, good luck. I only found your channel about a month ago and really appreciate your honesty. There have been many a book that I’ve put down unfinished or slogged through, only to say “what a piece of shit.” Cheers!
Its fun to sse these youngsters turning onto books I have read my entire life.
take a pic of the sci-fireplace and print it on a t-shirt to wear in all your future videos.
Probably gonna avoid The Sparrow as I generally am in tune with your likes and dislikes.
Sheckley was my one favourites from that era, but not as good as Silverberg or Aldiss, I agree.
I've still got 4-5 of his short story collections. And I just ordered Jack Vance's "Tales of the Dying Earth"
Was that also a collection of short stories originally? I wonder what will turn up.
Good luck on your "walkabout".
"Skitt fiske" ! - a Norwegian anti-jinx wish.
I read the Hitchhiker's Guide and Red Dwarf novels many years ago and they were quite funny to me at the time. I know they're not science fiction but Thomas Sharpe books are outrageously funny.
I did read The Sparrow for it's much-vaunted intersection of religion and science fiction. It raises some interesting theological questions... then just leaves them dangling. It seems like an experience like this would make an atheist out of the most devout believer. But geology, dinosaur bones, and space exploration has not yet made atheists out of them. This story also reminds me of Alive! the famous plane crash that resulted in gruesome cannibalism. Under the circumstances some of the survivors lost their faith, while others came away feeling their faith strengthened, deepened, or galvanized somehow. It doesn't matter what we learn about the world or the universe, it doesn't matter how evil other people are, or what disasters befall us, it doesn't seem to affect people's beliefs in an omniscient omnipotent patriarchal monotheism. Unfortunately in the end Maria Doria Russell didn't seem to have anything interesting to say about any of these things. For example, what if God is real but can't leave Earth? Or what if creatures on another planet worship a god who is actually physically corporeal there? Not simply an image or a concept? Should humans then also worship that god? Does each planet or each alien race have their own Heaven and their own Hell to go to in the Afterlife? Or will we all be lumped together with every kind of extraterrestrial in the Afterlife? What if aliens simply misunderstood the phrase "drink of my blood and eat my of flesh, do these things in remembrance of me"? What if aliens had a more sophisticated nuanced understanding of good and evil, right and wrong, than God-fearing Earthlings do? None of these questions were addressed whatsoever. It's like Russell's notion of God is something like C.S.Lewis's Aslan character: of course he's REAL! But he shows up when he feels like it, or not at all.
I’m with you 100% on The Sparrow. I hated that book with a passion. I don’t know why but I forced myself to finish it. I swore I’d never read another one of her books.
I had to read The Sparrow in high school & felt much the same
I'm sure a lot of us would like to know where you're heading. Are you planning to share some of the details? I hadn't heard of digital nomadism before so I went to check out some videos on the topic. I've been to 4 countries in Southeast Asia and the cost of living makes it so you can live like a king, but the tropical heat is hard to get used to, that was nearly 20 years ago on my last visit. I live in the Houston area and the heat here is pretty bad, but it felt worse there if I recollect, and closer to the equator, like Bali, it's the same all year.
All the best on your adventures!
I can’t read.
I liked the one and only Sheckley that I’ve read “the status civilisation” about a prison planet
I see the point of both why people love The Sparrow and why you hate it - personally I gave up halfway through because of the horrible pacing and getting frustrated with the characters, but then returned to it years later and really liked it. My feeling is that though the pacing is horrible and the foreshadowing excessive, the themes it explores are actually really powerful and I've written analyses of it before, just saying it's just "bad things happen is God good" undersells some of the other more complex stuff going on with it. Though in some way it was a book more fun to write essays about than read.
Can't agree about characterization in The Sparrow: I found the characters plausible enough and entertaining. The dialogue? Here I agree there was way too much wittiness and I found myself skipping more and more of it as I went along. And there was too much of much the same topics being discussed. Still, overall, I enjoyed the story, and the thoughts of the characters that often set me to thinking about myself and people I know.
Now do I appreciate bookpilled less? Nope. Still love the reviews chocked with food for thought.
Will you be doing an updated top Sci-fi books list?
Yep, in a few months
Man I wish you luck! You are one booktuber that i skip everyone else to watch your videos first. If you ever travel to eastern europe(balkans aka serbia, bosnia, croatia, bulgaria and etc.) let me know and i can fill you in on certain spots. Been there done that since im Serbian myself. Again, i am happy you are living the life I would love to live, but sad I wint get videos from you to the same extent/content as often.
Thank you. You will probably get videos from me more often than you have been.
Is there somewhere I can send you a picture? I converted our mantle to a sci-fireplace in honor of yours being retired. As we all know, imitation is the sincerest form of copyright infringement.
That's awesome, please post it to the Discord, everyone will love it
Dude you need to have a look at Silo the book. It is a dozen flashbangs going off in tandem between your ears.
Do you know if there is any market for back issues of Analog Science Fiction magazine? I just cleaned out my dad's room and he had hundreds of them going back to the late 60's, all in good shape. My brother wanted me to preserve dad's sci fi collection (it's at least x10 the sci-fireplace) but I don't think he cares about the magazines.
Yeah I think so. Not my expertise. Probably depends on the issues.
Have my dad's as well as some cheesy sci but some look interesting. I was surprised to see the Dune issue so I will have to read them at some point.
Try Mindswap by Sheckley.
For "Pas de trois" the S are silent, appart from that, your prononciation was not that bad :)
( Pas de trois is a type of classic dance moove )
Bon voyage! Safe journeys!
I finished The Sparrow, but it was a hate read.
Enjoy the new lifestyle and I look forward to more content in far away locations.