Favorite book (So far) of 2015

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Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby Vandervecken on Sun 20 Sep 2015 04:29

For those of you out there that still read books, my favorite book I've read this year was 'The Martian' by Andy Weir. It has been out for a few years but really gained an audience at the beginning of this year. It has been in the top 20 bestsellers for most of the year and deservedly so. Great pacing and a wonderful main character are only the tip of this book's charm. It has real science in it! I mean real NASA type science. No Unobtanium or Blechkadd particles here. And it works so well with the story.

My son just finished reading it and that makes 4 of 4 people in my Household who have read it in less than a week (because you are compelled to keep reading to see what happens next). None of us gave it less than a 9 out of 10.

If you have the chance, read it (or listen to it on audio tape). It comes out as a movie on October 2nd, but movies usually cannot fully give you the story like a craftsmen writer can. Some movies come close but others are but pale ghosts of the original story. I hear good things about the movie and Matt Damon seems like a great fit for the main character. Oh well, comparing books to movies is a whole different Topic for the Starless Void.

P.S. - just a reminder that 'Steelheart' - by Brandon Sanderson was last year's favorite book in my household, even my wife gave it a 9.5. The Khanesse and I both gave it a 10 out of 10. And the second book set in that world was thankfully not a letdown. It is titled 'Firefight'.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby Cralis on Mon 21 Sep 2015 00:40

I read it and it was very, very interesting. There are better writers, and near the end it seemed like he was in a hurry to wrap up the story, but he's definitely got the engineering and science part of it done well, accurately, and in your face. That's what attracted me to the story. And he did it in a way that had me following along even though I already knew the science... despite me already knowing the science! I read it in just a couple nights, I had to find out what happened next.

Sometimes a book has the content done so well that it's really good, despite not being as polished as other books. This is one of those books.

Not my favorite sci fi book (not even for this year), but it is the only "modern sci fi" book that I've actually enjoyed reading. Every other book I've read that is "modern sci fi" was either mind-numbingly boring or was "very soft" sci fi, and that doesn't work when the technology involved is so close to "now" that even 15 year old kids know how it's supposed to work.

So I'd give this one a thumbs up.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby szurkey on Fri 25 Sep 2015 20:42

For me right now that is a toss up. I'm working through two great books. Mathematics: Its Content, Methods, and Meaning by A. D. Alkesandrov, A. N. Komogorov, and M. A. Lavrentev Be warned that chapter two is Calc 1 & Calc 2 in 116 pages! But don't worry, there 965 other pages, and they all that friendly... The other book is Warlord: A Life of Winston Churchill at War, 1874 - 1945 by Carlo D'Este. It a great read of a fascinating man. D'Este's other books on Sicily campaign (Bitter Victory) and the Anzio campaign (Fatal Decision) are also worth reading (and I read them this year). I also read Principles of Maritime Strategy by Julian S. Corbett this year as well. That man is brilliant!
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby LordKron on Sat 26 Sep 2015 02:09

Just started Trial by Fire by Charles Gannon. Great book but you have to pace yourself reading it. No slow spots that can be skimmed over.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby aramis on Mon 12 Oct 2015 15:30

I completed reading one novel this year - St Patrick's Gargoyle. Fun little fantasy romp. Thus, to date, it's my favorite novel of 2015.

My favorite book so far is not a novel - it's the Star Wars: Force & Destiny RPG Corebook.

I'm tempted to see if I can find the ebook of Chuck Gannon's latest, but my preference from him is game stuff, not novels. (Chuck was one of several Traveller article authors of note; right up there with Andrew and Bill Keith, and Terry McInnes.)
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby Cralis on Mon 12 Oct 2015 16:22

I have "Raising Caine" (Chuck's third book) on
the way. The first two are _excellent_. And on a side note, I saw "The Martian" yesterday in 3D and it was excellent. There were a few parts omitted and a couple things that made me laugh (like their rendition if "modifying" the rover), and they had to "spice up" the ending... but it was overall excellent. One thing they did that the book did not do was give you an idea of what happened to the astronauts after they got back to Earth. I highly recommend it to ya'll.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby krenshala on Mon 12 Oct 2015 18:38

I'm holding off on getting/reading the book until after I've seen the movie. I won't suffer the LoTR WTF moments that way.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby Cralis on Mon 12 Oct 2015 23:11

krenshala wrote:I'm holding off on getting/reading the book until after I've seen the movie. I won't suffer the LoTR WTF moments that way.


Actually, don't worry about it. The movie has a few less scenes (about 4-5 of them) than the book, and the book describes everything in the way an engineer would. The movie doesn't, of course, as regular people wouldn't understand.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby krenshala on Tue 13 Oct 2015 12:20

Cralis wrote:
krenshala wrote:I'm holding off on getting/reading the book until after I've seen the movie. I won't suffer the LoTR WTF moments that way.


Actually, don't worry about it. The movie has a few less scenes (about 4-5 of them) than the book, and the book describes everything in the way an engineer would. The movie doesn't, of course, as regular people wouldn't understand.


Its just something I try to do to avoid feeling I wasted time and money going to the theater. If I read the book years before (e.g., Ender's Game) I just have to live with it, unfortunately.
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Re: Favorite book (So far) of 2015

Postby Cralis on Tue 13 Oct 2015 14:01

You already know the guy is going to be rescued in "The Martian." It's a foregone conclusion. The part I enjoyed was in the journey itself, I knew what the ending had to be (I'd probably have hated it if he died suddenly, or if a UFO blasted him, we found life on mars, or anything out of character to THIS story).

Unlike "Ender's Game" where at the ending you're going "HOLY CRAP REALLY???" and the whole story suddenly has a completely new meaning.

I could easily watch "The Martian" several times and enjoy it just the same. Now that I know the ending of "Ender's Game", it just won't be the same. Although I did read it a second time to see what the author did... like I watched "Sixth Sense" a second time to re-evaluate the story knowing what I found out at the end...

Anyway, just my two cents.
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