We had a great discussion on Ringworld. We decided that the representation of women was sorely lacking. The population control models they put forwards with Humans, the Ringworld, the Kzinti, and the Puppeteers was very interesting. The story had a lot of holes, and the plot was contrived in a number of points, especially around Tila.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2259779-ringworld-thought-questions
I really liked the story in this book, it had a typical setup of magic that was long lost coming back, but it was especially well done in that. The magic of the world is very interesting, with it pulling from the life force of the user, or those around the special users.
The lore was decently developed, but it ended at a huge cliffhanger. I’ll have to wait for a while for the next one to come out.
The arguments put forward in this book do not flow logically. The author does a decent job of poking the proper holes in the atheistic views on religion, but does not touch on the more pertinent views of humanism. The author also goes off the deep end in the assumptions about Christian faithfuls. I could more easily draw the conclusion that Christians should be the least desirable people, because their faith says they don’t need to be good or nice to their fellow man, even if they should. They don’t need to make anything right if they hurt others, instead all that is required is that they ask forgiveness. They don’t have to ask the person they hurt, only an unknowable being that will then forgive them of everything that they repent. There are some good points in the book, but they are drowned out by the satisficing and logical hoops that the author jumps through.
I really enjoyed this book, even if the premise was absurd. I like the world building that was done, and how immersive it makes the experience of being in the oasis. It doesn’t feel like a story about a boy who is living in a trailer park, it feels like the story of a hero on a quest. I think that really does justice to the way the people who live their lives for the oasis would feel. I also think that the corporations in the book are scary, and the only think holding back real world corporations form being like that is some vague person ethics. It is a book I could read several times.
I really enjoy Sanderson’s world building, and even if this is my fourth favorite world of his, it is still in my top 10 fantasy/sci fi worlds. The way weaknesses come out in the epics and how firefight/megan turns out at the end of the book is amazing. I feel bad about how prof ends up, but it does make for a great setup to the next book.
We had a pretty good turnout at the first full bookclub meeting, and the response to the book was mainly negative, but it made us think. There were some really good and impassioned discussions around the different concepts discussed. The most contested was the institutional habits and whether that level of control that the company is exerting on the individual is moral or not. Steph’s baked goods were delicious.
We decided on A Fire upon the Deep as the next book, and I’m going to read it a few times since it was pretty good.
We had our first book club meeting last night and I’d say it went rather well. The meeting was very light, with a lot of off topic comments. We got through the book list and added a number more. The one that we decided on was “The Power of Habit,” a book I’d listened to before. I had rather liked it the last time. There were a good number of people that showed up including Liana, Ryan, Jeremy, Tina, Candice, David, Steph, Andrew, and Debby. There were a few people that couldn’t make it who asked to be notified what the book was as well. I hope we get a good discussion out of it. I’m going to send out some topics to think about soon, since I’m almost done with the first re-listen.
This was a particularly good story, although there were many parts where I wanted to throttle the main character because she was being so stupid. She was able to come and go at will, then watch to see what would happen, and go back to change the outcome. At some points she stubbornly refuses to do this and tries to have everything go right on the first try. I really can’t understand her logic of never leaving to try again or watching more to see what happens.
I liked the magic system in this book, and the way that the glass magician can use mirrors to teleport. The end of the book with the ability to change medium, and how she decides not really to share it is a strange spot. The bad guys were a little too evil for my liking, but I understand the series is meant as a bit lighter fair than the books I’m used to.
It's an Exciting World 