Century Rain

[coalescent]

Comments

[alexmc]

I should have read John meaney's latest which came in the post, and reviewed Stel Pavlou's Gene which I read last week.But i was ill and couldn't even read LJ

[coalescent]

I should have read one of the books that someone actually wants me to review. And written a review of Postscripts. And finished writing christmas cards. And cleaned my flat.

I cleaned one room in my flat. I guess that's something.

[fishlifter]

Read Chasm City. You don't need a clean flat.

[tefkas]

*echoes*

Chasm City is definitely worth reading, and probably the strongest of the quartet. It also helps that it's set prior to Redemption Ark, chronologically, despite being written (or published) later...

[tinimaus]

I had a bad experience with a short story, 'Galactic North', that appeared in Interzone a few years ago, and for a while actively avoided his work

You are making it sound like the story threw up in your pot-plant and wiped its face on the curtains. :-)

[coalescent]

Don't be silly. I didn't have a pot-plant. :-p

[tinimaus]

Waste-paper basket?

[snowking]

You're missing a "the" when you talk about leaving Paris.

Hmm, I wouldn't say mind-boggling but Revelation Space and Chasm City are good. Enjoyment dulled slightly once I'd read Schismatrix, mind. I really should get Absolution Gap.

[coalescent]

You're missing a "the" when you talk about leaving Paris.

Thanks.

Hmm, I wouldn't say mind-boggling but Revelation Space and Chasm City are good. Enjoyment dulled slightly once I'd read Schismatrix, mind. I really should get Absolution Gap.

I think the premise of Century Rain could form the basis for a mind-boggling book (think Dick), but I don't think that's the sort of book Reynolds wanted to write. I was just amused that so many people had been boggled. :)

[talvalin]

The mind-boggling stuff is in his earlier books, but I've yet to read Schismatrix to find out just *how* much of it was, um, borrowed.

Century Rain is at least reasonably consistent, unlike the majority of his novels, but I did think that it could have been better. I agree that the Paris segment was the most interesting and abandoning it so early was a mistake. I wasn't particular surprised by the shameless infodumping, but Floyd's reaction to all of it was brilliant, especially the line about being able to change a spark-plug. The dialogue was sharper than I've seen (it's dark, but still less grim than the Inhibitor stuff) and I laughed out loud in quite a few places, usually in public places. By the way, if you think the info-dumping in Century Rain was bad, try the entire chapter's worth of it at the end of Revelation Space!

Not that you need another person bugging you, but Chasm City is rather good. :)

[coalescent]

I've yet to read Schismatrix

Well, I know what I'm nominating for next month's book group, then! I've been meaning to give it another go.

Floyd's reaction to all of it was brilliant, especially the line about being able to change a spark-plug. The dialogue was sharper than I've seen

Agreed, the dialogue was pretty sharp. I wish I'd noted down some of the better quotes, actually. :)

[communicator]

I like Alastair Reynolds a lot. Like with Iain Banks I get the impression of imagination operating at full strength, just blasting out images and ideas, regardless of any constraints of whether they are wise or tasteful. Shame he doesn't always take the care he might to present them properly.

[coalescent]

I get the impression of imagination operating at full strength, just blasting out images and ideas

I did get that from The Algebraist, but although I think Century Rain is the better of the two books, it didn't give me a comparable buzz. There was cool stuff, but not as high a density of cool stuff. :)