I'm a author of sci-fi novels who discovered your channel several weeks ago, and I can't stop watching your videos! I love the honest insights you give. Your reviews give me lots and lots to think about in my own writing. Very, very helpful.
Roadside Picnic is one of those books that feels too good to really exist. I remember the whole time I was reading experiencing the anxiety at how fragile something so beautiful must have been during its infancy, and how lucky we are to get to read it. Really glad you felt similarly, you've inspired me to finally pull the other Strugatskys off the backlog shelf.
I like The Culture novels, but I find nothing redeeming in Peter Hamilton. And I say that having read almost 2000 pages of Hamilton's work. I was wondering what I was missing that so many others found excellent. I guess it is just not for me.
My main problem with Hamilton's characters is that they're not likeable. Also, they are almost all ridiculously rich and unsympathetic. I didn't care about any of them, except maybe for the astronomer and the orphan kid, but that's it. 10,000 pages and 1 million characters (that's what it felt like) and only 2 slightly likeable characters. Meh.
Wow! I think this was your best piece ever and what drew me to comment. I really appreciated your ability to try to express what you felt even if you yourself might still be trying to sort it all out. Especially "Picnic" vs. "Annihilation". I really think you are on to something inside yourself that has a greater critical relevance and hope you continue. Too much of science fiction fandom is either "Gate-Keeping" or pissing about those who, "just don't get it." Main-stream fiction teaches us that a critical apparatus is possible. Keep pushing the envelope and good luck!
Peter F. Hamilton is among my favorite sci-fi writers ever! That being said, I couldn't help but chuckle at your description of Pandora's Star. And the guy's endings, man! He makes me so giddy about the potential of things and creates these amazing riddles that need to be solved technologically and humanly... then all of the characters get together and everything ends suddenly. And then there are three epilogues that no one cares about. Oh, I am crying and laughing.
The trouble is, Hamilton wrote The Reality Dysfunction and has struggled to top it ever since. That said, Judas Unchained is better - the description of what comes out of the box is as bleak as anything.
@@rogeramu i've found the reality dysfunction to take longer to get anywhere than his later books, like pandoras. i've tried three times to get more than 5 hours into that book and i'm just too bored to continue on.
As an old science/science fiction/art student and enthusiast, I am so glad I found this channel. Wish I had found it ( or others like it) years ago. Finding this channel is like being reunited with an old friend you haven't seen in decades.
'Roadside Picnic' is nearly its own genre. The translation into English (I'm assuming it was in Russian originally) is excellent. The premise of the novel is unique in my experience. Good call on reviewing this one.
I tried Pandora's Star about 12 years ago. 100% agree with everything you shared about your experience. The only difference is I gave up about where you decided to keep going. Impressed you didn't DNF. Really enjoying your journey here.
A perfect review of Pandora’s Star. I stopped somewhere between 175-200 pages in because I was still waiting for the part where the damn ship was going to take off towards these strange dyson spheres. Your Disneyland metaphor is extremely apt.
Really enjoyed Roadside Picnic, thanks for the recommendation! High-Rise by Ballard also sounds right up my alley (interesting review on your part!), so it's now on my read-soon list.
By the way, I’ve been dinged by a few editors for a fluctuations in tone. It is something that is really enforced in writing now. Which I think is why there’s still a solid camp of readers for SF written before whatever started post 2008.
I *have* noticed all the movie review TH-camrs run on & on about pacing (usually in an incorrect way, where they mean "fast pacing", but. . . ) in a way that suggests it was drilled into them like potty training in college. Likely at the expense of Subject / Verb agreement. . . amiright? 😏💯
Man, you are so right about "A Roadside Picnic". And about the ending. Masterpiece. Solid ten. And "Annihilation". And "Pandora's Star". I started to read the "Night's Dawn Trilogy" a couple of times and never finished it... But I enjoyed his "Commonwealth" books, all of them. But...how can someone write so many pages and not work out good endings. It really frustrates me. I heaven't read "High-Rise" and "Rhialto the Marvelous". I loved all the other "Dying Earth" books and Vance is one of my favourite authors. Especially his princes, the grey one and the demons are a good read. From the books I know: You nailed it again.
There have been passages and even whole books of Hamilton Ive enjoyed... Thats said, by the gods does that man need a surgical editor. Bloated is apt 👍
In an attempt to expand my range in books from Fantasy and snarky memoirs, I picked up a few from the used bookstore today. Bloodmusic, Roadside Picnic, and a few by Aldiss... looking forward to adding a circle to my Venn diagram. Thanks, Mr. Pill.
Absolutely agree that the centering backstory/trauma in horror is eye-rolling, annoying, and cheapens everything it touches but I don't necessarily think that's exactly why those things are included in Annihilation. My interpretation (if it's interesting to you) is it's included to draw the line and show how the POV character interacts with the environment/biomes vs how she can't form meaningful interpersonal relationships or even understand other people on like a surface level. Makes her an interesting reporter for the things going on around her. I think the theory that she has a form of autism is extremely valid. Less about a cheap way to get people to buy in and care about the character and more about establishing why this character understands things the others aren't getting/seeing. IMO, at least. But I am also developing into a shill for Vandermeer so maybe I'm giving him some benefit of the doubt. Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on his Ambergris books if you ever take another swing.
Interesting, thanks. I would need to go back and re-read to really formulate a take on your take. But it sounds very plausible. Vandermeer is certainly not a poor writer, I am likely to pick up something by him in the future.
@@Bookpilled He’s got a short story set in his Ambergris world that you can find online for free pretty easily called “Dradin In Love” that just blows me away. Also so tonally and stylistically different it’s almost unbelievable the same guy wrote both. I’d take a look there if you’re thinking about a shorter commitment to another Vandermeer work. Plus it’s kinda long for a short story, it’s like 60 pages. Highly recommended.
I totally agree with your take on the reason for including the main character’s backstory. While I enjoyed the movie adaptation, I really missed that element of the main character’s personality and perspective in the film version.
I appreciated the biologist so much more rereading Annihilation after having finished the trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy, if that's a word). I felt like I was blown away on my first read by how unsettling and atmospheric it was but on a reread I saw the biologist's struggle to understand herself in the larger context of us struggling to understand our role in a changing ecosystem. She can't seem to relate to other people in the way we can't relate to area X. Agreed, I think the backstory isn't used just to elicit sympathy for her, just wanted to add I totally agree with Bookpilled on that trope in horror and really any other genre. Trying to get you to care about a character based on stuff that just happened in the past, via flashback or characters just talking about it, frustrates me.
I hated Annihilation so much. I read all 3 books, because I kept thinking that there would be a point. Spoiler alert - there isn't. I am on board with the idea that in this great big universe there are many, many things that mankind doesn't understand. However, that doesn't mean that the narrative about those things needs to be completely incoherent. There are so many places in all 3 books where I went, "Wait, what?" After re-reading, I still had no idea what happened. Not that I didn't understand cause and effect; it was literally impossible to know what event had just occurred. The second book is completely overtaken by weird inter-agency politics. Again, there is the hint of an interesting idea in the government struggling ineffectually to deal with the literally unknowable, but an author still needs to tell that story in an interesting fashion. I am completely with you on the author going overboard on character backstory. Again, you might think, "This will be important at some point." It's not, and it's told in a flat and uninteresting fashion. There are so many bizarre gaps in the narrative structure that I have wondered if the people who love the series (and I know that there are many) actually love the things in their inner narrative that they use to fill in the gaps, rather than what is on the page. Clearly that's just projecting; people have a right to love whatever they love, for whatever reason they love it. I found the books increasingly annoying as it became obvious that there would be no payoff, just a continual litany of "Wait, what?" Not a fan. As best I remember, the movie doesn't really bring in aspects from the later books. It just adds some additional connective tissue in a vain attempt to make a (minimally) coherent story. Again, not a fan. 2 far more interesting points of comparison - you have said many times that you aren't much of a gamer, but there was a game called Control out a couple of years ago. It is difficult to describe; it's a first-person shooter with a story about a woman who accidentally becomes the head of a government agency that is fighting paranormal manifestations on Earth, but it's much weirder than than capsule description sounds. It's vastly more interesting than Annihilation. Second point - H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. I don't like Lovecraft. I have many friends who love his work, but I find him tedious in the extreme. At the Mountains of Madness is boring for 2/3 of its length, but then kicks into high gear and I think that it ends on a strong note. It has a similar "protagonist encounters the unknowable" plot, but it is told in a coherent fashion. You may not know why or how things happen, but you at least know what happened.
I really appreciated your comments at the 21-minute part of the video related to Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora Star. I hate abandoning a book and series but there only just so much time. Especially when you're looking toward collecting SSI. Not specifically this book but Sci Fi novels in general and especially Sci Fi series. It hard to come back to an abandoned effort as well. When an author gets up to book 10 plus in a series the storyline is probably dead, and the author has no ending. It gets to the point where you start pulling for the bad guys to kill off the good guys to end it all.
The critique of Pandora’s Star will go done as my most favorite book review of all time. I had flash backs to standing in line at Disney fantasizing about getting a fast pass, I’ve been laughing for over ten minutes.
Had me laughing out loud (not "loling") the whole time! I haven't read any Hamilton, and the frequency with which it gets recommended was making me think "Should i?". But your "minority report" has let me off the hook! Thank you. Also thanks for the recommendation of Roadside Picnic. Solaris is one of the most extraordinary books I've ever read, so sounds like Picnic will suit me well. P.S. Found your channel via the Sci-Fi Alliance! Thanks Library Ladder!
I DNFd Pandora’s Star about 15 years ago. I bought it again, I’ll try it again some time. I don’t remember hating it, I remember life getting in the way at the time.
Loved your comments on High-Rise. I 100% agree on San Fran. My wife and I went there pre-pandemic, and afterwards when someone asked me about the trip I said, If a guillotine is ever erected for its original purpose in America it's going to happen in SF first. I didn't think of Ballard when I was there but I should have.
I felt the same way about Pandora's Star. I had asked a co-worker to recommend a good sci-fi writer I hadn't heard of, and Hamilton was the one he praised a lot. At the same time, I often try to buy affordable first editions and have rationalized such actions to my wife. Usually, however, I have already read the expensive books I buy and only invest in books I adore. I hadn't read any Hamilton so had no business spending $150 on a 1st edition of Pandora's Star. Boyyyy was I disappointed. I remember parts of what I read (thought it was years ago now) so I guess that is a puny argument against its being a paper-weight, but I also remember the absolutely endless roster of characters and the impatience I felt I had mastered in my early twenties when my reading began to accelerate. Honestly, with so many other authors to read, I don't know if I'll ever return to Hamilton again. He kind of shit the bed and made the worst first impression possible. The latest recommendation made to me by someone I trust is Ruocchio's Sun Eater series. Have you read any of his work?
Great great review man. So exact and accurate. I totally feel your reaction to Hamilton's prose is valid. The amount of world building borders on psychotic. I definitely skimmed through most of that bc I really enjoyed the plots. It is punishing and dense like pumpernickel though. Judas Unchained is more of the same. The plot about the Silfen world and Ozzie hooked me as did the Motiles. I had to find out what happened. Judas was more of a slog though with the last 200 pages or so being one long action scene. It got real fucking confusing. I still enjoyed them and I think I needed the time to myself lol I really like Annihilation and the other two novels. I agree with you on the tone of the first one, very flat. The second is real unsettling and nightmarish. The third is just balls out strange af, which I enjoyed bc of its unhinged and total abandonment of reality. Borne by Jeff Vandermeer is a much better book. Really love that one. Lots different. High Rise sounds amazing. And I'm going to read Roadside Picnic real soon! Stalker is one of my favorite films. Once again Matt, one of the best reviews I've ever watched on TH-cam. Keep it up! And sell them books real good! Cody aka Atop
John Harrison's 'Light' uses Roadside Picnic themes as significant tropes and produces what for me is one of the most accomplished layered sci-fi novels I have ever read.
@6:45 The opposite, actually. Before VanderMeer even WROTE #2 & #3...and in fact, before #1 was even published, the studio bought the rights & then about 8 months after its publication, Alex Garland was hired to direct. (Read about how VanderMeer was fast-tracked to write & publish the trilogy...it's weird & fascinating.) So Garland was concerned about the weird franchise-y aspirations the studio had, and didn't want to be beholden to unwritten manuscripts ...and so with VanderMeer's permission, he adapted his dream-like impressions of reading the novel, more than a straightforward adaption. To be honest, I actually much prefer the film to the novel!
Tarkovsky directed his version of Roadside Picnic as Stalker (1983) More of a Christian parable about a room in the forbidden zone were dreams become real. Mostly an excursion in to urban over grown abandoned Russia it reminded me of the canal system in the UK and it's back lot architecture. Often considered a masterpiece of his transcendal style. He also did Solaris.
BP, I find the hardest part of being objective about SF and SF Fantasy is how I'm feeling mentally/physically when I read the stories. I've developed slightly skewed opinions based on those coincidences. I see no evidence of this effect in your reviews, you are rock-solid, in my estimation, in your fair and objective approach, so-to-speak, given we all approach our tastes in this genre of literature subjectively. Thanks for your very level headed and consistent critique, it has helped me choose some new reading targets. Cheers.
@@meesalikeu yeah the library gave me until 3rd of November to finish this lol I am deffo finishing this tonight. Maybe with hot chocolate like you suggested.
The flashback/exposition thing in horror started with Stephen King. He did it well, and I can envision editors everywhere demanding that authors do character development (which wasn't really a thing in horror before King) like he did. It's rarely as organic as King's stuff because either they aren't good at it or it just isn't the way they write.
I have enjoyed you channel. I have read a few of of your recommendations and just ordered four more. Super excited to be reading books from new to me authors. Thanks for the reviews.
I love your review of Roadside Picnic. You nailed it. It's one of my favorite SF novels next to Solaris which you compared it to. I recently ordered a Folio Society edition of RP. It looks fabulous. I'm currently on a Strugatsky binge, rereading Hard to Be a God. I've seen Stalker twice. It's long, philosophical, and brooding, very Russian and very European in film style. I enjoyed it for those very qualities. Don't expect the typical Hollywood, Western action movie. I haven't played the video game, but my son has and he loved it.
Roadside Picnic has my favourite ending of any book to date. Red is so entirely revealed in that last monologue. Disagree wholeheartedly re: VanderMeer. His prose uses such incredible connections in language. Brackish light, the hegemony of what was real, an alliance of smoke and mist... I find it beautifully dreamlike, and far from flat. Oh well! The plotting was where I found him weakest. Always appreciate these videos!
hey, i had to FF through your description of Roadside Picnic to avoid any more. that one is right up my alley and i'm so glad to learn of it. my brother and i joke about the lack of banter in Russian science fiction make it instantly recognizable. (was there even a smile in Chernobyl?) anyway, excellent rec! thanks. i was in the thrift looking over the stacks and found 'Dead Souls' by Gogol and was surprised to see it was a Russian satire. great title for a satire, eh? the intro snagged me by describing his life and how, starving and emaciated, his doctors would put him in cold bath and pour tepid water over his head. he was made to sleep with huge leeches dangling from his nose that he complained would get into his mouth. the books is described as indescribable so i bought it instantly. one for the winter pile, if a bit off genre. i know what you mean about Hamilton but i'm going to read The Great North Road, again, for the descriptions. just finished Blindsight and Echopraxis and was hoping for a third with The Colonel, but it's just a sort of prologue, i now realize. too bad! i want more of that. Anathem was a thousand pager that carried me right along and would read a sequel in a heartbeat. Drood was another.
In regards to Annihilation, Alex Garland (the movie's director and writer) clearly states that the movie is only based on the first book (as that's the only one that was available when he was writing the script). The 2nd book changes characters and perspectives a bit and the 3rd one ties it nicely at the end.
You are right about the fantasy connection with Hamilton. In fact the first part of the Void trilogy has actual fantasy setting and events occurring (Dreaming Void especially). Maybe Banks as well. Good call. I love all books by all three of these authors, including Reynolds, but I normally can’t get into much fantasy usually
The second is a bit of an endurance contest, at least until THE SCENE with Whitby towards the end, but I really liked Authority overall, and Acceptance is a great emotional payoff... probably worth your time, you're in two-thirds the way lol
Tarkovsky's adaptation of Roadside Picnic (Stalker) certainly succeeds for me where Solaris falls short (although having just read the novel attentively, I'll be watching the movie again). A great interpretation of the prose.
Stalker was a real gem of a film. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy that I’ve seen. I didn’t realise it was based on a book. I also loved both Solaris film adaptations, though for me Tarkovsky’s takes the crown (despite the longish scenes of driving along enclosed concrete roadways). But I haven’t read that book either. Next time you want to lighten up after a J G Ballard book, perhaps you might try Monument, by Lloyd Biggle Jr, or another book of his, All the Colours of Darkness. Or maybe you’ve read them already. They’re not too deep, but charming.
Re: Your San Francisco observations. You mentioned the tension wrought by technology, absence of social contract, and to that I would add a horrifying socioeconomic stratification and divide... which I do believe Ballard also leverages in that novel
We who toil below the Techno Serfs are like a churning mass of worms writhing in the darkness feeding on the opiate of memories of San Francisco. We writhe, Dreaming. . .
Ballard is superb. Crash is extreme - open it any page and there will be references to sex and car accidents.... The Drowned World (Ballard's first novel) is well worth reading. Some Ballard is better than others but his short story collections are well worth reading.
Greg, I totally agree with you, but 'The Drowned World' is not Ballard's first novel - it was his second. The first was 'The Wind From Nowhere', which he suppressed after the late 70s as he didn't feel it was of quality (it's actually very good).
@@outlawbookselleroriginal good point! I always forget about The Wind from Nowhere. I came to it after reading his “concrete and motorway” novels - you can see the germ of his later work in there. My only real memory of it though is the ending, where the wind just… stops.
@@sulate1 Yep, he never explained the wind, which was it's genius I thought- I'd suggest you try a book called 'The Man Who Travelled On Motorways' by Trevor Hoyle, incidentally. I must do a vid about if for my channel...
Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction is one of only three books I've quit reading in the last ten years. If it was just tedious, I would have slogged through, but it's also eye-rollingly juvenile in ways.
What a day, clothing sale, and book video! Excellent take on a great work. The set for the movie “Stalker” by Tarkovsky was so dangerous it poisoned him (and others) and he died of cancer in exile.
I agree completely about the things you say about prose in contemporary genre litterature, which (to the small extent I read it) puts me off from it somewhat. That and focus on description where none is really needed. And as a Ballard-lover I rate High Rise as one of his absolutely best (shared number one with The Unlimited Dream Company). Everything just fits perfectly together imo, like how the typical Ballardian extremes (the growing neurosis of the inhabitants, the decay of microcivilization as they know it and so on) just becomes so overwhelmingly "logical" within the logic of the book itself (despite being absurd). Absolutely fantastic.
ok I need to read roadside picnic now. I know books and movies are two different things but I would be so curious to hear your thoughts on Stalker. Every time I watch that film it’s like I am seeing it for the first time again. It is one of those films that requires your full engagement and, having watched it over 10 years ago, it continues to linger inside my head much like Blindsight has done for me recently (which I read based on your review)
Thanks for your entertaining and informative reviews! I can't wait to get started on Roadside Picnic soon. Ballard is another author I look forward to exploring.
Interesting reviews, as always. Although I can't always agree with you, your taste for books seems to be compatible enough with mine to take quite a few recommendations from your videos. When you made your example about what you found to be especially boring in Pandora's Star, it came to my mind that you would really HATE American Psycho (which of course is not a science fiction book). 😅
I’ve only ever Great North Road by Hamilton and there was some very good elements to it , it’s one of my favorites but there was a couple chapters that were soooo slow.
Couldn't agree more on Roadside Picnic and Pandora's Star. Roadside Picnic is a masterpiece, I had to buffer the rest of my sci-fi books from it by reading a lot of more pulpy adventure books for a short while afterwards, I knew that nothing would look great in the wake of that giant. You did Annihilation a bit dirty having it follow Roadside Picnic, I like Annihilation but there's no argument that its a subpar telling of similar themes and stories to Roadside Picnic. I'm not sure if you're opinion would of been vastly different, your critiques are all very valid, but perhaps without the comparison sitting in your mind it wouldn't of stood out so much. I bounced right off Pandora's Star, After 300 or so pages of nothing happening I couldn't imagine reading the rest, and the sequel instead of like 5 other books.
My go-to adjective for the prose in Annihilation has always been "artless," but "lifeless" works as well. I ended up DNFing it. Roadside Picnic is indeed brilliant, as is Stalker. They're a rare case where both book and movie are masterpieces, and they're different enough that they end up complementing each other very well instead of one feeling like an inferior version of the other. I also recommend the Strugatskys' novel Definitely Maybe, which is one of the most depressingly bleak things I've ever read (in a good way!)
I couldn't disagree with you more. But that's life. I love annihilation and really really could not understand the love for roadside picnic at all. I tried and tried and tried and just didn't like it at all
Ballard is always a good read. I've liked some of his books better than others but they're always worth reading..The Drought was the first one i read and I loved it.
Whilst I can't say I didnt like Pandora's Star I do think you make valid points about it being bloated. I felt it did feel a bit over stuffed. Have you read The reality dysfunction by Hamilton? I really prefer that series to Pandora's Star and it's sequels. On a tangent, I highly recommend Legacy of Heorot by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes first published in 1987. I think it's a hidden gem. Word of warning though, don't Google it. It has several twists and turns that you don't want revealed. Love the videos. Please keep them coming.
@@BookpilledThe reality dysfunction is a great piece, that really stuck with me. The third book had me feeling all existential. That being said, there's not without reason there's a companion book for the trilogy to keep order of all the characters.
I'm happy you loved Roadside Picnic, I'm a huge fan of it and the video games that spawned from it. I think you would find the movie interesting, it's the kind of movie that's so slow it's almost impossible to watch in one sitting but sticks with you afterwards
Banks is in a different league than Hamilton - and it's incredibly clear that the come at things from very different political beliefs. Banks - like the majority of truly good sci-ci authors had a very socialist bent. Hamilton almost certainly worships Elon Musk. Enough said. FWIW I've read everything from both authors - they both have really huge ideas. It's just that Hamilton's heros are what a lot of people would consider capitalist uber-villans.
Ok, so, Im addicted to your vids! You know, sometimes, when youre wandering through a used book store and just arent sure where to start, like maybe you didnt prepare properly? (I went to the one in Portland, the worlds largest I think. Left without a single book, feeling overwhelmed!) Im now prepared, though my list will be a real test of the compatibility of my tastes with yours. Good luck...
Thank you for your wide-ranging, informative reviews. I'm a general science fiction fan, so I really like how many types of SF books you cover. Since you hated _Pandora's Star_ may I suggest two other works you probably should avoid, for the same reasons. Both are incredibly dense, yet loved by many. The first one I hated. It is called _Triton_ and is by Samuel R. Delaney. It is about a guy (usually) on the moon Triton who goes thru many life-changing transformations, but somehow remains the same frustrating, hollow, jerk throughout. Expect lots of smoke and mirrors, but no magician. The second is a work I like and am currently reading. It is a LitRPG series called _Defiance of the Fall._ What you probably would hate about it is its extreme and ongoing depth of description of world mechanics involving science fiction, magic, and apocalypse. There is plenty of conflict and characterization, but I suspect your tastes would find it tedious.
I so emphasise with you over Pandoras Star. Almost a 1000 pages of treacle to wade trough without much plot resolution. I was left feeling a little angry, vowing never to get another Hamilton book.
I'm actually kind of surprised to hear that you didn't like Player of Games. I enjoyed a lot of Consider Phlebas but it was such a scattered feeling book that I was reluctant to read any more Culture. But Player of Games was such a tighter and more accessible experience and it made me a Culture fan for life. Look to Windward, which I believe is book 7, may be one of the best science fiction books I've read.
The San Francisco you describe there is definitely different from the one I experienced when I was about 16 (back in about 1995) when my family was on a 4-day vacation to see the sights. Vehicles would literally stop and wait for 50 pedestrians to cross at the crosswalk. I had never seen that in any other city.
With what you're talking about back stories in horror, I don't know that he invented it but Stephen King certainly popularized it and, to be fair, I think he does it much better than most writers. The Shining, for example, is an amazing book where he weaves the main characters back story into the present tense of the supernatural.
I’m enjoying your reviews & appreciate pointers to great reading. I lean toward hard sci fi With space opera as a fun escape. I must say that my all time fav so far is Pohl’s World at the End of Time. So thot provoking.
You're not alone in your opinion of Pandora's Star, though I did enjoy the novelty of taking a train to the stars and the journey of Ozzie Isaacs. That changed when I listened to Judas Unchained, which has all the bloat and little of the charm of the first novel. What is more galling is that it doesn't bring it all to a satisfying conclusion, so I bought The Dreaming Void thinking it was the last in the trilogy. I now have the dilemma of starting a new trilogy and possibly getting caught up in that for days and no closure to the Commonwealth saga.
I just finished the SF Masterworks version of Roadside Picnic. Now I need to go into the zone and retrieve my ancient copy, if it's not slimed or in a bug trap, for comparison of the translation. In the meantime, a little vodka and a fist full of Russian cigarette equivalents.... Anyway, pay attention to the little time jumps into the future, the progression can catch you out. I don't know if I've read a favorite of all time book, but this is one I continually recommend.
@@Bookpilled Great, looking forward to hearing your take on them! Personally, I couldn't put them down. Loving the channel by the way! New subscriber and I'm eating it all up.
Roadside Picnic is high on my TBR, I’m looking forward to it! I quite liked the Annihilation film, I might get to the book at some point. Pandora’s Star was an 8/10 for me. I think I enjoyed the highs more and found the slower parts more tolerable, but I also wanted more payoffs from a book that long. I’ll see if it pays off in Judas Unchained!
Hey, I super recommend you "The This" by Adam Roberts. I´ve just finished it. I got to know the author a couple of months ago and I've already read three books by him ("The Thing Itself" and "Jack Glass" as well). I believe he is amazing and should be more known. Hugs from Buenos Aires, Argentina! 🤗
Personally I don't care for novels that 'pay off' in the sequels. I read the first two books in the Farseer Trilogy and neither were stand alone novels with any kind of emotional payoff, let alone plot resolution. Fans told me I had to read all 15 books in the series to get the overall vision. No thank you. There is resolution and payoff for the reader in each volume of Asimov's Foundation series, or Tolkien's LOTR, or Pullman's Dark materials. I've read Dune, and even if i never read another in the series, Dune stands as a great novel by itself. For me, a proper sequel builds upon themes and characters already introduced, but whose plot or story exists wholly independent of its predecessor. In a perfect world I want to pick up a novel, read it, think it great and THEN discover it is the third book in a tetralogy. Comics understood this. Read issue #6 of Jack Kirby's New Gods. Not only does it stand alone as a great story, but it is also the second chapter of a remarkable (and industry legendary) four-issue run. Novelists could learn from Jack.
Fantastic as always. I always go away from your videos with at least two or three book recs that I immediately go and buy the book. I’d really be curious what you think of Pratchett. Small Gods would be a good first entry if you haven’t read any discworld so far Xx
New to the channel and I look forward to viewing more great content. Have you ever read We All Died at Breakaway Station by Richard C. Meredith? I loved the Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy. I knew I'd like it when I read a bad review of it on Goodreads.
Roadside Picnic: what the Tarkovski film, Stalker, was based on. You also mentioned Tarkovski's Solaris, one of my favorite movies. Hope you will talk about them..
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I'm a author of sci-fi novels who discovered your channel several weeks ago, and I can't stop watching your videos! I love the honest insights you give. Your reviews give me lots and lots to think about in my own writing. Very, very helpful.
Me. too
Roadside Picnic is one of those books that feels too good to really exist. I remember the whole time I was reading experiencing the anxiety at how fragile something so beautiful must have been during its infancy, and how lucky we are to get to read it. Really glad you felt similarly, you've inspired me to finally pull the other Strugatskys off the backlog shelf.
I love your reviews! You’re actually a serious reader instead of some book tubers.
I like The Culture novels, but I find nothing redeeming in Peter Hamilton. And I say that having read almost 2000 pages of Hamilton's work. I was wondering what I was missing that so many others found excellent. I guess it is just not for me.
Hamilton pissed me off after 200 pages. Some great ideas, but he needs an editor.
My main problem with Hamilton's characters is that they're not likeable. Also, they are almost all ridiculously rich and unsympathetic. I didn't care about any of them, except maybe for the astronomer and the orphan kid, but that's it. 10,000 pages and 1 million characters (that's what it felt like) and only 2 slightly likeable characters. Meh.
The Salvation series is much better than the Commonwealth series, which just seems to be a weird outlet for Hamilton's fantasies.
"There is a community college's worth of characters" was my favorite part
so many thread one needs a loom.
@@stephenmorton8017 nice
My favorite was, "Alright...that'll do 'er", and then the video cuts abruptly. xD
Wow! I think this was your best piece ever and what drew me to comment. I really appreciated your ability to try to express what you felt even if you yourself might still be trying to sort it all out. Especially "Picnic" vs. "Annihilation". I really think you are on to something inside yourself that has a greater critical relevance and hope you continue. Too much of science fiction fandom is either "Gate-Keeping" or pissing about those who, "just don't get it." Main-stream fiction teaches us that a critical apparatus is possible. Keep pushing the envelope and good luck!
Thank you, Andrew.
Roadside Picnic got me into sci-fi. One of my favorites! I wish it was longer because I wanted more and more.
OK!
"Wanting more" best compliment you can give a writer or any creator.
I would be a lousy critic. I have too many “personal taste quibbles”. My taste is all over the place.
Peter F. Hamilton is among my favorite sci-fi writers ever! That being said, I couldn't help but chuckle at your description of Pandora's Star. And the guy's endings, man! He makes me so giddy about the potential of things and creates these amazing riddles that need to be solved technologically and humanly... then all of the characters get together and everything ends suddenly. And then there are three epilogues that no one cares about. Oh, I am crying and laughing.
I agree Peter Hamilton is a mixed bag Some times good sometimes bad
The trouble is, Hamilton wrote The Reality Dysfunction and has struggled to top it ever since. That said, Judas Unchained is better - the description of what comes out of the box is as bleak as anything.
@@rogeramu i've found the reality dysfunction to take longer to get anywhere than his later books, like pandoras. i've tried three times to get more than 5 hours into that book and i'm just too bored to continue on.
I do like when you describe books on my immediate to-read pile as "true masterpieces", really helps the decision process
As an old science/science fiction/art student and enthusiast, I am so glad I found this channel. Wish I had found it ( or others like it) years ago.
Finding this channel is like being reunited with an old friend you haven't seen in decades.
Nice new format with the book in the corner of screen. Much appreciated! Thanks!
'Roadside Picnic' is nearly its own genre. The translation into English (I'm assuming it was in Russian originally) is excellent. The premise of the novel is unique in my experience. Good call on reviewing this one.
Just found out the great Greg Bear has passed away. Another of the true literary greats gone. RIP Greg and thanks for the amazing worlds you created.
I tried Pandora's Star about 12 years ago. 100% agree with everything you shared about your experience. The only difference is I gave up about where you decided to keep going. Impressed you didn't DNF. Really enjoying your journey here.
A perfect review of Pandora’s Star. I stopped somewhere between 175-200 pages in because I was still waiting for the part where the damn ship was going to take off towards these strange dyson spheres. Your Disneyland metaphor is extremely apt.
I like your reviews. You have a refreshing honesty.
Really enjoyed Roadside Picnic, thanks for the recommendation! High-Rise by Ballard also sounds right up my alley (interesting review on your part!), so it's now on my read-soon list.
By the way, I’ve been dinged by a few editors for a fluctuations in tone. It is something that is really enforced in writing now. Which I think is why there’s still a solid camp of readers for SF written before whatever started post 2008.
Ugh, dreary. That makes sense though.
I *have* noticed all the movie review TH-camrs run on & on about pacing (usually in an incorrect way, where they mean "fast pacing", but. . . ) in a way that suggests it was drilled into them like potty training in college. Likely at the expense of Subject / Verb agreement. . . amiright? 😏💯
Man, you are so right about "A Roadside Picnic". And about the ending. Masterpiece. Solid ten.
And "Annihilation".
And "Pandora's Star". I started to read the "Night's Dawn Trilogy" a couple of times and never finished it... But I enjoyed his "Commonwealth" books, all of them. But...how can someone write so many pages and not work out good endings. It really frustrates me.
I heaven't read "High-Rise" and "Rhialto the Marvelous". I loved all the other "Dying Earth" books and Vance is one of my favourite authors. Especially his princes, the grey one
and the demons are a good read.
From the books I know: You nailed it again.
Amazing Roadside Picnic is so good even after translation from the Russian. Another of your recommends I must now read.
There have been passages and even whole books of Hamilton Ive enjoyed... Thats said, by the gods does that man need a surgical editor. Bloated is apt 👍
In an attempt to expand my range in books from Fantasy and snarky memoirs, I picked up a few from the used bookstore today. Bloodmusic, Roadside Picnic, and a few by Aldiss... looking forward to adding a circle to my Venn diagram. Thanks, Mr. Pill.
Absolutely agree that the centering backstory/trauma in horror is eye-rolling, annoying, and cheapens everything it touches but I don't necessarily think that's exactly why those things are included in Annihilation.
My interpretation (if it's interesting to you) is it's included to draw the line and show how the POV character interacts with the environment/biomes vs how she can't form meaningful interpersonal relationships or even understand other people on like a surface level. Makes her an interesting reporter for the things going on around her. I think the theory that she has a form of autism is extremely valid.
Less about a cheap way to get people to buy in and care about the character and more about establishing why this character understands things the others aren't getting/seeing. IMO, at least. But I am also developing into a shill for Vandermeer so maybe I'm giving him some benefit of the doubt. Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on his Ambergris books if you ever take another swing.
Interesting, thanks. I would need to go back and re-read to really formulate a take on your take. But it sounds very plausible. Vandermeer is certainly not a poor writer, I am likely to pick up something by him in the future.
@@Bookpilled He’s got a short story set in his Ambergris world that you can find online for free pretty easily called “Dradin In Love” that just blows me away. Also so tonally and stylistically different it’s almost unbelievable the same guy wrote both. I’d take a look there if you’re thinking about a shorter commitment to another Vandermeer work. Plus it’s kinda long for a short story, it’s like 60 pages. Highly recommended.
I totally agree with your take on the reason for including the main character’s backstory. While I enjoyed the movie adaptation, I really missed that element of the main character’s personality and perspective in the film version.
I appreciated the biologist so much more rereading Annihilation after having finished the trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy, if that's a word). I felt like I was blown away on my first read by how unsettling and atmospheric it was but on a reread I saw the biologist's struggle to understand herself in the larger context of us struggling to understand our role in a changing ecosystem. She can't seem to relate to other people in the way we can't relate to area X.
Agreed, I think the backstory isn't used just to elicit sympathy for her, just wanted to add I totally agree with Bookpilled on that trope in horror and really any other genre. Trying to get you to care about a character based on stuff that just happened in the past, via flashback or characters just talking about it, frustrates me.
I hated Annihilation so much. I read all 3 books, because I kept thinking that there would be a point. Spoiler alert - there isn't. I am on board with the idea that in this great big universe there are many, many things that mankind doesn't understand. However, that doesn't mean that the narrative about those things needs to be completely incoherent. There are so many places in all 3 books where I went, "Wait, what?" After re-reading, I still had no idea what happened. Not that I didn't understand cause and effect; it was literally impossible to know what event had just occurred. The second book is completely overtaken by weird inter-agency politics. Again, there is the hint of an interesting idea in the government struggling ineffectually to deal with the literally unknowable, but an author still needs to tell that story in an interesting fashion. I am completely with you on the author going overboard on character backstory. Again, you might think, "This will be important at some point." It's not, and it's told in a flat and uninteresting fashion.
There are so many bizarre gaps in the narrative structure that I have wondered if the people who love the series (and I know that there are many) actually love the things in their inner narrative that they use to fill in the gaps, rather than what is on the page. Clearly that's just projecting; people have a right to love whatever they love, for whatever reason they love it. I found the books increasingly annoying as it became obvious that there would be no payoff, just a continual litany of "Wait, what?" Not a fan.
As best I remember, the movie doesn't really bring in aspects from the later books. It just adds some additional connective tissue in a vain attempt to make a (minimally) coherent story. Again, not a fan.
2 far more interesting points of comparison - you have said many times that you aren't much of a gamer, but there was a game called Control out a couple of years ago. It is difficult to describe; it's a first-person shooter with a story about a woman who accidentally becomes the head of a government agency that is fighting paranormal manifestations on Earth, but it's much weirder than than capsule description sounds. It's vastly more interesting than Annihilation.
Second point - H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. I don't like Lovecraft. I have many friends who love his work, but I find him tedious in the extreme. At the Mountains of Madness is boring for 2/3 of its length, but then kicks into high gear and I think that it ends on a strong note. It has a similar "protagonist encounters the unknowable" plot, but it is told in a coherent fashion. You may not know why or how things happen, but you at least know what happened.
I really appreciated your comments at the 21-minute part of the video related to Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora Star. I hate abandoning a book and series but there only just so much time. Especially when you're looking toward collecting SSI. Not specifically this book but Sci Fi novels in general and especially Sci Fi series. It hard to come back to an abandoned effort as well. When an author gets up to book 10 plus in a series the storyline is probably dead, and the author has no ending. It gets to the point where you start pulling for the bad guys to kill off the good guys to end it all.
The critique of Pandora’s Star will go done as my most favorite book review of all time. I had flash backs to standing in line at Disney fantasizing about getting a fast pass, I’ve been laughing for over ten minutes.
Had me laughing out loud (not "loling") the whole time! I haven't read any Hamilton, and the frequency with which it gets recommended was making me think "Should i?". But your "minority report" has let me off the hook! Thank you.
Also thanks for the recommendation of Roadside Picnic. Solaris is one of the most extraordinary books I've ever read, so sounds like Picnic will suit me well.
P.S. Found your channel via the Sci-Fi Alliance! Thanks Library Ladder!
Thanks for properly using the word "trope" as it is actually meant to be used. Most misused word of the 2020s imho.
GOD yes!
It's like no one ever teaches the kids "motif" or "cliche'" these days!
@@salty-walt THANK YOU
It's TOTALLY one of my pet peeves as well.
Next we fight for the lost art of Subject / Verb agreement. . . . amiright?
Hear hear.
@@outlawbookselleroriginal You TELL him Steve DAve!
I DNFd Pandora’s Star about 15 years ago. I bought it again, I’ll try it again some time. I don’t remember hating it, I remember life getting in the way at the time.
If you get to 200 pages and you're bored, I recommend bailing.
Loved your comments on High-Rise. I 100% agree on San Fran. My wife and I went there pre-pandemic, and afterwards when someone asked me about the trip I said, If a guillotine is ever erected for its original purpose in America it's going to happen in SF first. I didn't think of Ballard when I was there but I should have.
I don’t always agree with your takes, but I definitely enjoy listening to them, thanks!
I felt the same way about Pandora's Star. I had asked a co-worker to recommend a good sci-fi writer I hadn't heard of, and Hamilton was the one he praised a lot. At the same time, I often try to buy affordable first editions and have rationalized such actions to my wife. Usually, however, I have already read the expensive books I buy and only invest in books I adore. I hadn't read any Hamilton so had no business spending $150 on a 1st edition of Pandora's Star. Boyyyy was I disappointed. I remember parts of what I read (thought it was years ago now) so I guess that is a puny argument against its being a paper-weight, but I also remember the absolutely endless roster of characters and the impatience I felt I had mastered in my early twenties when my reading began to accelerate. Honestly, with so many other authors to read, I don't know if I'll ever return to Hamilton again. He kind of shit the bed and made the worst first impression possible. The latest recommendation made to me by someone I trust is Ruocchio's Sun Eater series. Have you read any of his work?
Great great review man. So exact and accurate. I totally feel your reaction to Hamilton's prose is valid. The amount of world building borders on psychotic. I definitely skimmed through most of that bc I really enjoyed the plots. It is punishing and dense like pumpernickel though. Judas Unchained is more of the same. The plot about the Silfen world and Ozzie hooked me as did the Motiles. I had to find out what happened. Judas was more of a slog though with the last 200 pages or so being one long action scene. It got real fucking confusing. I still enjoyed them and I think I needed the time to myself lol
I really like Annihilation and the other two novels. I agree with you on the tone of the first one, very flat. The second is real unsettling and nightmarish. The third is just balls out strange af, which I enjoyed bc of its unhinged and total abandonment of reality. Borne by Jeff Vandermeer is a much better book. Really love that one. Lots different.
High Rise sounds amazing.
And I'm going to read Roadside Picnic real soon! Stalker is one of my favorite films.
Once again Matt, one of the best reviews I've ever watched on TH-cam. Keep it up! And sell them books real good!
Cody aka Atop
Thanks Cody, appreciate the comments. Glad the Commonwealth books were rewarding enough for you.
John Harrison's 'Light' uses Roadside Picnic themes as significant tropes and produces what for me is one of the most accomplished layered sci-fi novels I have ever read.
@6:45 The opposite, actually. Before VanderMeer even WROTE #2 & #3...and in fact, before #1 was even published, the studio bought the rights & then about 8 months after its publication, Alex Garland was hired to direct. (Read about how VanderMeer was fast-tracked to write & publish the trilogy...it's weird & fascinating.) So Garland was concerned about the weird franchise-y aspirations the studio had, and didn't want to be beholden to unwritten manuscripts
...and so with VanderMeer's permission, he adapted his dream-like impressions of reading the novel, more than a straightforward adaption.
To be honest, I actually much prefer the film to the novel!
Tarkovsky directed his version of Roadside Picnic as Stalker (1983) More of a Christian parable about a room in the forbidden zone were dreams become real. Mostly an excursion in to urban over grown abandoned Russia it reminded me of the canal system in the UK and it's back lot architecture. Often considered a masterpiece of his transcendal style. He also did Solaris.
BP, I find the hardest part of being objective about SF and SF Fantasy is how I'm feeling mentally/physically when I read the stories. I've developed slightly skewed opinions based on those coincidences. I see no evidence of this effect in your reviews, you are rock-solid, in my estimation, in your fair and objective approach, so-to-speak, given we all approach our tastes in this genre of literature subjectively. Thanks for your very level headed and consistent critique, it has helped me choose some new reading targets. Cheers.
Just found your reviews...thank you, I seem to be on your wavelength regarding sci fi. Many thanks.
I have Roadside Picnic on hold at my library, and going to pick it up today! So happy to hear it mentioned alongside Solaris.
i envy you really loved that book. like make some cocoa, curl up in the club chair and read it in a day. its just the best for that.
@@meesalikeu yeah the library gave me until 3rd of November to finish this lol I am deffo finishing this tonight. Maybe with hot chocolate like you suggested.
oh this channel is entirely what I needed. thank you!
The flashback/exposition thing in horror started with Stephen King. He did it well, and I can envision editors everywhere demanding that authors do character development (which wasn't really a thing in horror before King) like he did. It's rarely as organic as King's stuff because either they aren't good at it or it just isn't the way they write.
I have enjoyed you channel. I have read a few of of your recommendations and just ordered four more. Super excited to be reading books from new to me authors. Thanks for the reviews.
I love your review of Roadside Picnic. You nailed it. It's one of my favorite SF novels next to Solaris which you compared it to. I recently ordered a Folio Society edition of RP. It looks fabulous. I'm currently on a Strugatsky binge, rereading Hard to Be a God. I've seen Stalker twice. It's long, philosophical, and brooding, very Russian and very European in film style. I enjoyed it for those very qualities. Don't expect the typical Hollywood, Western action movie. I haven't played the video game, but my son has and he loved it.
Highrise criticism was really interesting. I won't get clever after your eloquence. Anyway, I remain a fan. Dana
Roadside Picnic has my favourite ending of any book to date. Red is so entirely revealed in that last monologue.
Disagree wholeheartedly re: VanderMeer. His prose uses such incredible connections in language. Brackish light, the hegemony of what was real, an alliance of smoke and mist... I find it beautifully dreamlike, and far from flat. Oh well! The plotting was where I found him weakest.
Always appreciate these videos!
hey, i had to FF through your description of Roadside Picnic to avoid any more. that one is right up my alley and i'm so glad to learn of it. my brother and i joke about the lack of banter in Russian science fiction make it instantly recognizable. (was there even a smile in Chernobyl?) anyway, excellent rec! thanks.
i was in the thrift looking over the stacks and found 'Dead Souls' by Gogol and was surprised to see it was a Russian satire. great title for a satire, eh? the intro snagged me by describing his life and how, starving and emaciated, his doctors would put him in cold bath and pour tepid water over his head. he was made to sleep with huge leeches dangling from his nose that he complained would get into his mouth. the books is described as indescribable so i bought it instantly. one for the winter pile, if a bit off genre.
i know what you mean about Hamilton but i'm going to read The Great North Road, again, for the descriptions. just finished Blindsight and Echopraxis and was hoping for a third with The Colonel, but it's just a sort of prologue, i now realize. too bad! i want more of that.
Anathem was a thousand pager that carried me right along and would read a sequel in a heartbeat. Drood was another.
Dead Souls is wonderful. Very funny book.
Roadside Picnic is one of the greatest books I've ever read. I'm so glad you enjoyed it as well.
I love your book reviews! So sorry you suffered through that doorstopper of fluff and bloat
In regards to Annihilation, Alex Garland (the movie's director and writer) clearly states that the movie is only based on the first book (as that's the only one that was available when he was writing the script). The 2nd book changes characters and perspectives a bit and the 3rd one ties it nicely at the end.
You are right about the fantasy connection with Hamilton. In fact the first part of the Void trilogy has actual fantasy setting and events occurring (Dreaming Void especially). Maybe Banks as well. Good call. I love all books by all three of these authors, including Reynolds, but I normally can’t get into much fantasy usually
Been waiting for these reviews thanks! I liked Annihilation, but the second book…woof, I hated it. Didn’t make it to the third.
The second is a bit of an endurance contest, at least until THE SCENE with Whitby towards the end, but I really liked Authority overall, and Acceptance is a great emotional payoff... probably worth your time, you're in two-thirds the way lol
just finished roadside picnic, and woke up this morning with the last lines in the book stuck in my head, it really sits with you
Tarkovsky's adaptation of Roadside Picnic (Stalker) certainly succeeds for me where Solaris falls short (although having just read the novel attentively, I'll be watching the movie again). A great interpretation of the prose.
well story one story is much more straightforward and far less cerebral than the other. both are freakin awesome of course.
Stalker was a real gem of a film. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy that I’ve seen. I didn’t realise it was based on a book. I also loved both Solaris film adaptations, though for me Tarkovsky’s takes the crown (despite the longish scenes of driving along enclosed concrete roadways). But I haven’t read that book either.
Next time you want to lighten up after a J G Ballard book, perhaps you might try Monument, by Lloyd Biggle Jr, or another book of his, All the Colours of Darkness. Or maybe you’ve read them already. They’re not too deep, but charming.
Super Cannes by Ballard is a favorite - Ballard and Pynchon's old books describe the current world clearer than anything from today's age
Re: Your San Francisco observations. You mentioned the tension wrought by technology, absence of social contract, and to that I would add a horrifying socioeconomic stratification and divide... which I do believe Ballard also leverages in that novel
We who toil below the Techno Serfs are like a churning mass of worms writhing in the darkness feeding on the opiate of memories of San Francisco. We writhe, Dreaming. . .
@@salty-walt Meanwhile the top selling book among the tech elite is “How to Eat Fried Worms” by Thomas Rockwell
@@helpfulcommenter 😢And Jesus Wept.❤🔥 We're on fire now.
Fire upon the Deep was amazing. thank you for the reference btw.
Ballard is superb. Crash is extreme - open it any page and there will be references to sex and car accidents.... The Drowned World (Ballard's first novel) is well worth reading. Some Ballard is better than others but his short story collections are well worth reading.
Greg, I totally agree with you, but 'The Drowned World' is not Ballard's first novel - it was his second. The first was 'The Wind From Nowhere', which he suppressed after the late 70s as he didn't feel it was of quality (it's actually very good).
@@outlawbookselleroriginal good point! I always forget about The Wind from Nowhere. I came to it after reading his “concrete and motorway” novels - you can see the germ of his later work in there. My only real memory of it though is the ending, where the wind just… stops.
@@sulate1 Yep, he never explained the wind, which was it's genius I thought- I'd suggest you try a book called 'The Man Who Travelled On Motorways' by Trevor Hoyle, incidentally. I must do a vid about if for my channel...
Ballard short stories are exceptional. Strangely exceptional and visual.
The drowned world has such a weirdly poetic finale. From all his "disaster"/ doom novels is the one I like the most.
Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction is one of only three books I've quit reading in the last ten years. If it was just tedious, I would have slogged through, but it's also eye-rollingly juvenile in ways.
You have the best book reviews on the internet
Roadside picnic! It's here on TH-cam...thank you .gonna check it out .never ever hear of it .
"I'll be back"!!
What a day, clothing sale, and book video! Excellent take on a great work. The set for the movie “Stalker” by Tarkovsky was so dangerous it poisoned him (and others) and he died of cancer in exile.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Tarkovsky’s Stalker. One of my all time favorites.
I like how you show different covers of the books as a flat graphic on screen
I agree completely about the things you say about prose in contemporary genre litterature, which (to the small extent I read it) puts me off from it somewhat. That and focus on description where none is really needed.
And as a Ballard-lover I rate High Rise as one of his absolutely best (shared number one with The Unlimited Dream Company). Everything just fits perfectly together imo, like how the typical Ballardian extremes (the growing neurosis of the inhabitants, the decay of microcivilization as they know it and so on) just becomes so overwhelmingly "logical" within the logic of the book itself (despite being absurd). Absolutely fantastic.
Also regarding the Hamilton book (which I will never ever read after hearing this) I absolutely HATE excessive descriptivity
ok I need to read roadside picnic now. I know books and movies are two different things but I would be so curious to hear your thoughts on Stalker. Every time I watch that film it’s like I am seeing it for the first time again. It is one of those films that requires your full engagement and, having watched it over 10 years ago, it continues to linger inside my head much like Blindsight has done for me recently (which I read based on your review)
Dammit! You've made me want to reread _Solaris_ & _Roadside Picnic_. I really should. I haven't read them in about twenty years.
The way that you're describing it, reminds me of "Tales from the Loop".
Thanks for your entertaining and informative reviews! I can't wait to get started on Roadside Picnic soon. Ballard is another author I look forward to exploring.
Interesting reviews, as always. Although I can't always agree with you, your taste for books seems to be compatible enough with mine to take quite a few recommendations from your videos.
When you made your example about what you found to be especially boring in Pandora's Star, it came to my mind that you would really HATE American Psycho (which of course is not a science fiction book). 😅
I’ve only ever Great North Road by Hamilton and there was some very good elements to it , it’s one of my favorites but there was a couple chapters that were soooo slow.
Couldn't agree more on Roadside Picnic and Pandora's Star.
Roadside Picnic is a masterpiece, I had to buffer the rest of my sci-fi books from it by reading a lot of more pulpy adventure books for a short while afterwards, I knew that nothing would look great in the wake of that giant. You did Annihilation a bit dirty having it follow Roadside Picnic, I like Annihilation but there's no argument that its a subpar telling of similar themes and stories to Roadside Picnic. I'm not sure if you're opinion would of been vastly different, your critiques are all very valid, but perhaps without the comparison sitting in your mind it wouldn't of stood out so much.
I bounced right off Pandora's Star, After 300 or so pages of nothing happening I couldn't imagine reading the rest, and the sequel instead of like 5 other books.
I feel the same way about Peter Hamilton. He doesn't do anything that Iain M. Banks and Vernor Vinge have done already at much higher quality.
so much good stuff and feel the EXACT same about "Annhiliation"! Folks = get "Picnic" and "High Rise" !! GOTTA REREAD !!!
Looks like your channel is really picking up steam! Great reviews as always. I guess I won’t be in a rush to try any Peter F. Hamilton.
My go-to adjective for the prose in Annihilation has always been "artless," but "lifeless" works as well. I ended up DNFing it.
Roadside Picnic is indeed brilliant, as is Stalker. They're a rare case where both book and movie are masterpieces, and they're different enough that they end up complementing each other very well instead of one feeling like an inferior version of the other.
I also recommend the Strugatskys' novel Definitely Maybe, which is one of the most depressingly bleak things I've ever read (in a good way!)
I couldn't disagree with you more. But that's life. I love annihilation and really really could not understand the love for roadside picnic at all. I tried and tried and tried and just didn't like it at all
Totally agree on Roadside Picnic. The day I finished it, I turned around and read it a second time. I'm not sure I've ever done that before.
Ballard is always a good read. I've liked some of his books better than others but they're always worth reading..The Drought was the first one i read and I loved it.
Whilst I can't say I didnt like Pandora's Star I do think you make valid points about it being bloated. I felt it did feel a bit over stuffed. Have you read The reality dysfunction by Hamilton? I really prefer that series to Pandora's Star and it's sequels.
On a tangent, I highly recommend Legacy of Heorot by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes first published in 1987. I think it's a hidden gem. Word of warning though, don't Google it. It has several twists and turns that you don't want revealed.
Love the videos. Please keep them coming.
Thanks. Haven't read Reality Dysfunction but Heorot is on my radar
@@BookpilledThe reality dysfunction is a great piece, that really stuck with me. The third book had me feeling all existential. That being said, there's not without reason there's a companion book for the trilogy to keep order of all the characters.
I'm happy you loved Roadside Picnic, I'm a huge fan of it and the video games that spawned from it. I think you would find the movie interesting, it's the kind of movie that's so slow it's almost impossible to watch in one sitting but sticks with you afterwards
Roadside Picknick has one of the best last sentences of any novel I know.
100% agree on Roadside Picnic. Masterpiece, one of the best books I've ever read.
Hamilton is now tentatively on my TBR pile, since I do like the Culture novels.
Banks is in a different league than Hamilton - and it's incredibly clear that the come at things from very different political beliefs. Banks - like the majority of truly good sci-ci authors had a very socialist bent. Hamilton almost certainly worships Elon Musk. Enough said. FWIW I've read everything from both authors - they both have really huge ideas. It's just that Hamilton's heros are what a lot of people would consider capitalist uber-villans.
Courageous to want to read Hamilton after that review. I’ve tried 2 of his books and there’s no chance of me attempting him again, dnf both books.
Ok, so, Im addicted to your vids! You know, sometimes, when youre wandering through a used book store and just arent sure where to start, like maybe you didnt prepare properly? (I went to the one in Portland, the worlds largest I think. Left without a single book, feeling overwhelmed!) Im now prepared, though my list will be a real test of the compatibility of my tastes with yours. Good luck...
Good man... Stand your ground and be congruent.
Thank you for your wide-ranging, informative reviews. I'm a general science fiction fan, so I really like how many types of SF books you cover.
Since you hated _Pandora's Star_ may I suggest two other works you probably should avoid, for the same reasons. Both are incredibly dense, yet loved by many. The first one I hated. It is called _Triton_ and is by Samuel R. Delaney. It is about a guy (usually) on the moon Triton who goes thru many life-changing transformations, but somehow remains the same frustrating, hollow, jerk throughout. Expect lots of smoke and mirrors, but no magician. The second is a work I like and am currently reading. It is a LitRPG series called _Defiance of the Fall._ What you probably would hate about it is its extreme and ongoing depth of description of world mechanics involving science fiction, magic, and apocalypse. There is plenty of conflict and characterization, but I suspect your tastes would find it tedious.
I so emphasise with you over Pandoras Star. Almost a 1000 pages of treacle to wade trough without much plot resolution. I was left feeling a little angry, vowing never to get another Hamilton book.
I'm actually kind of surprised to hear that you didn't like Player of Games. I enjoyed a lot of Consider Phlebas but it was such a scattered feeling book that I was reluctant to read any more Culture. But Player of Games was such a tighter and more accessible experience and it made me a Culture fan for life. Look to Windward, which I believe is book 7, may be one of the best science fiction books I've read.
The San Francisco you describe there is definitely different from the one I experienced when I was about 16 (back in about 1995) when my family was on a 4-day vacation to see the sights. Vehicles would literally stop and wait for 50 pedestrians to cross at the crosswalk. I had never seen that in any other city.
With what you're talking about back stories in horror, I don't know that he invented it but Stephen King certainly popularized it and, to be fair, I think he does it much better than most writers. The Shining, for example, is an amazing book where he weaves the main characters back story into the present tense of the supernatural.
I’m enjoying your reviews & appreciate pointers to great reading. I lean toward hard sci fi With space opera as a fun escape. I must say that my all time fav so far is Pohl’s World at the End of Time. So thot provoking.
You're not alone in your opinion of Pandora's Star, though I did enjoy the novelty of taking a train to the stars and the journey of Ozzie Isaacs.
That changed when I listened to Judas Unchained, which has all the bloat and little of the charm of the first novel. What is more galling is that it doesn't bring it all to a satisfying conclusion, so I bought The Dreaming Void thinking it was the last in the trilogy. I now have the dilemma of starting a new trilogy and possibly getting caught up in that for days and no closure to the Commonwealth saga.
highrise and annihilation are two of my all time favorite books. i can't wait to read roadside picnic.
I just finished the SF Masterworks version of Roadside Picnic. Now I need to go into the zone and retrieve my ancient copy, if it's not slimed or in a bug trap, for comparison of the translation. In the meantime, a little vodka and a fist full of Russian cigarette equivalents.... Anyway, pay attention to the little time jumps into the future, the progression can catch you out. I don't know if I've read a favorite of all time book, but this is one I continually recommend.
Have you ever read Jack Vance's series The Demon Princes? It's probably my favorite.
No but I have all of them in Daw singles and will get to them
@@Bookpilled Great, looking forward to hearing your take on them! Personally, I couldn't put them down. Loving the channel by the way! New subscriber and I'm eating it all up.
Roadside Picnic is high on my TBR, I’m looking forward to it! I quite liked the Annihilation film, I might get to the book at some point. Pandora’s Star was an 8/10 for me. I think I enjoyed the highs more and found the slower parts more tolerable, but I also wanted more payoffs from a book that long. I’ll see if it pays off in Judas Unchained!
Hey, I super recommend you "The This" by Adam Roberts. I´ve just finished it.
I got to know the author a couple of months ago and I've already read three books by him ("The Thing Itself" and "Jack Glass" as well). I believe he is amazing and should be more known.
Hugs from Buenos Aires, Argentina! 🤗
Personally I don't care for novels that 'pay off' in the sequels. I read the first two books in the Farseer Trilogy and neither were stand alone novels with any kind of emotional payoff, let alone plot resolution. Fans told me I had to read all 15 books in the series to get the overall vision. No thank you. There is resolution and payoff for the reader in each volume of Asimov's Foundation series, or Tolkien's LOTR, or Pullman's Dark materials. I've read Dune, and even if i never read another in the series, Dune stands as a great novel by itself. For me, a proper sequel builds upon themes and characters already introduced, but whose plot or story exists wholly independent of its predecessor. In a perfect world I want to pick up a novel, read it, think it great and THEN discover it is the third book in a tetralogy. Comics understood this. Read issue #6 of Jack Kirby's New Gods. Not only does it stand alone as a great story, but it is also the second chapter of a remarkable (and industry legendary) four-issue run. Novelists could learn from Jack.
Fantastic as always. I always go away from your videos with at least two or three book recs that I immediately go and buy the book.
I’d really be curious what you think of Pratchett. Small Gods would be a good first entry if you haven’t read any discworld so far
Xx
New to the channel and I look forward to viewing more great content. Have you ever read
We All Died at Breakaway Station
by Richard C. Meredith?
I loved the Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy.
I knew I'd like it when I read a bad review of it on Goodreads.
Roadside Picnic: what the Tarkovski film, Stalker, was based on. You also mentioned Tarkovski's Solaris, one of my favorite movies. Hope you will talk about them..