Truly, this is a broken and pathetic man who doesn’t realize he’s alone and doesn’t realize how deep his need is for company.
YES. Bingo. That is absolutely the heart of the book.
I actually enjoyed this one rather less than some of the others set in the same universe; and I barely managed to slog through Tripoint. But Downbelow Station is one of my long-standing favorites. And the Chanur trilogy, although again very dated, has some really interesting things going on about character interaction; Cherryh is one of the few authors I've run across who very credibly makes the human character seem like the alien.
I like Cherryh's books that are in this universe, but I'd say that this is one of the weaker ones. I think it felt to me that it was all theme no story (goodness knows if those are appropriate words, it's just the way I think of it - the damaged protagonist who's in over his head is definitely a common flavour in the Alliance/Union stories, but I think she pulls it off better in other stories). If you do go back and read more Cherryh of this sort then I'd recommend Cyteen or Heavy Time.
Most of the Alliance/Union books are standalone, they're in the same universe, but different characters and different stories - so except in a few cases you never do find out about the loose ends. It's interesting that you don't think that that's acceptable in modern books, as it's one of the things that I like a lot about these books - it feels realer than having stuff neatly tied up. But again, I did feel that this wasn't one of the showcase stories from the series and possibly the others tie off more
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I don't think modern SF has to tie up EVERYTHING (there's always a chance for a sequel), but main plot points, especially ones that were given tremendous weight towards the beginning, definitely need to come full-circle. It's my preference as a reader, but I've also seen some critics (good ones too, not the run of the mill ones) come down REALLY hard on writers who leave stuff in the air.
But I'm glad to hear this was one of her weaker books. I'll definitely check something else of hers out one day, but I don't know what.
I agree with you, mostly, although I really value mystery in my writing .. particularly in horror, but also to an extent in science fiction. There's mystery, though, and then there's mere sloppyness.
I just watched David Lynch's "Lost Highway" for the first time and I have no idea what it was *really* about, but I'm intrigued and my mind is full of questions; I think that's pretty great. I'll definitely be watching it again.
Heya. I've commented in your LJ before and you gave me a bunch of great recommendations, I think, but almost all of my e-mail was deleted in April so I never responded. :P
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Dune is a good example of dated style: Nowadays, flip-flopping from one character's head to another in the same scene is REALLY frowned upon. It's disorienting to the reader, and it makes it hard to ground oneself in the characters. I know that Dune is all about the social commentary and the story and the greatness, but if someone were to write like Herbert does, I'd be surprised--very surprised--if he or she got published, no matter how good the ideas are.
I read Bradbury. I read LeGuin. So I've read older work, stuff that even pre-dates Cherryh's book. What makes them work for me? Well, they are good stylists. They're also good story-tellers, and they also have something bigger to say than adventure. So it's a combination: there's nothing wrong with adventure stories (Tobias Buckell's Crystral Rain seems to be doing really well), but they aren't for me.
Merchanter's Luck is hard to pin-point in its datedness. Some of it is subject matter and setting: back then, the idea of space pirates was new and
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Short answer, 'cause this comment is really ancient!!! :D
Yes, I do see where you are coming from, but I still think things like exposition dumps are more a sign of bad writing in general than datedness, since they seem quite frequent today still (I most notably think of books by people like Kathy Reichs and Dan Brown, whose rubbish I am sometimes forced to read through at work).
I'll have to re-read "Dune" soon and see if the flip-flopping bothers me any more than it did years ago. I guess if it were handled well it could be acceptable, but you're right, it's certainly not the best technique and nothing that I would advise!
I think I was referring to the head-hoppping as more of a dated technique, cause you're right, exposition dumps are prevalent no matter what decade you're in.
Don't know if you saw the review or not, but I did read DUNE last month and posted a review. :)
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YES. Bingo. That is absolutely the heart of the book.
I actually enjoyed this one rather less than some of the others set in the same universe; and I barely managed to slog through Tripoint. But Downbelow Station is one of my long-standing favorites. And the Chanur trilogy, although again very dated, has some really interesting things going on about character interaction; Cherryh is one of the few authors I've run across who very credibly makes the human character seem like the alien.
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I like Cherryh's books that are in this universe, but I'd say that this is one of the weaker ones. I think it felt to me that it was all theme no story (goodness knows if those are appropriate words, it's just the way I think of it - the damaged protagonist who's in over his head is definitely a common flavour in the Alliance/Union stories, but I think she pulls it off better in other stories). If you do go back and read more Cherryh of this sort then I'd recommend Cyteen or Heavy Time.
Most of the Alliance/Union books are standalone, they're in the same universe, but different characters and different stories - so except in a few cases you never do find out about the loose ends. It's interesting that you don't think that that's acceptable in modern books, as it's one of the things that I like a lot about these books - it feels realer than having stuff neatly tied up. But again, I did feel that this wasn't one of the showcase stories from the series and possibly the others tie off more ( ... )
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But I'm glad to hear this was one of her weaker books. I'll definitely check something else of hers out one day, but I don't know what.
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I just watched David Lynch's "Lost Highway" for the first time and I have no idea what it was *really* about, but I'm intrigued and my mind is full of questions; I think that's pretty great. I'll definitely be watching it again.
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Yes, you may. :)
Dune is a good example of dated style: Nowadays, flip-flopping from one character's head to another in the same scene is REALLY frowned upon. It's disorienting to the reader, and it makes it hard to ground oneself in the characters. I know that Dune is all about the social commentary and the story and the greatness, but if someone were to write like Herbert does, I'd be surprised--very surprised--if he or she got published, no matter how good the ideas are.
I read Bradbury. I read LeGuin. So I've read older work, stuff that even pre-dates Cherryh's book. What makes them work for me? Well, they are good stylists. They're also good story-tellers, and they also have something bigger to say than adventure. So it's a combination: there's nothing wrong with adventure stories (Tobias Buckell's Crystral Rain seems to be doing really well), but they aren't for me.
Merchanter's Luck is hard to pin-point in its datedness. Some of it is subject matter and setting: back then, the idea of space pirates was new and ( ... )
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Yes, I do see where you are coming from, but I still think things like exposition dumps are more a sign of bad writing in general than datedness, since they seem quite frequent today still (I most notably think of books by people like Kathy Reichs and Dan Brown, whose rubbish I am sometimes forced to read through at work).
I'll have to re-read "Dune" soon and see if the flip-flopping bothers me any more than it did years ago. I guess if it were handled well it could be acceptable, but you're right, it's certainly not the best technique and nothing that I would advise!
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I think I was referring to the head-hoppping as more of a dated technique, cause you're right, exposition dumps are prevalent no matter what decade you're in.
Don't know if you saw the review or not, but I did read DUNE last month and posted a review. :)
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