Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

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Will let the other book settle before I am starting reading this one. Was wondering if anybody else is planing on reading the sequel as well?

Started reading it a couple of days ago, gone only through a quarter of the book and what left me surprised the most so far is what a page-turner it turned out to be. It reads more like one of Dan Brown's novels than a conventional sci-fi.

While listening to this book on my way to work this morning. I told myself I would write a small review/comment about this book today. I get on to do so and I see Art has already done so!

The problem is, I think Art is way smarter than I am. I'm having trouble with this book. I find it interesting from a theological and philosophical point of view, but the biological stuff is mostly over my head. I have a degree in psychology...and I'm struggling with all this hard science stuff, lol.

I do like the book, but its not my favorite. It has a Michael Crichtonfeel to it, for me. I like Michael Crichton . His science is dumbed down enough for me to really get it. I'm getting the basics of what's going on in our genetics and I find it fascinating. I just don't know enough about biology.

I'll talk more about the philosophy and theology parts in the spoiler part later on. I'm about 65% done with the book. Maybe I'll have it finished by Sunday? We shall see.

Bryan wrote: "While listening to this book on my way to work this morning. I told myself I would write a small review/comment about this book today. I get on to do so and I see Art has already done so!

The prob..."

Heh I wish that were true. I think I am just getting to the hard part now where the science is explained and I must say that at times I am forced to look up every third word. He doesn't even really try dumbing it down for the laymen.

I'm waiting to get this book from the library. I hope soon!

I got the book and so far I feel as if I am trudging through totally unnecessary description. Two unrelated stories, one where I am having trouble remembering who is who because that is harder in Kindle books and I always have trouble with it.

I'm 5% in, which is usually where I stop when I am confused and bored, but I will keep on for a while more. It MUST get better, right?

I remember I loved Blood Music, years ago (don't remember a thing about it.)

Maybe I am not into writers' writers just as I am not into musicians' musicians. But in won the Nebula, FCOL! It MUST be good!

Well, at first I was put off by the pacing of the book. I really enjoyed the intro, where the first character is introduced. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, but the story kept shoving a second set of characters down my throat who had nothing interesting (at least at the time, based on what was known to us) going on. Also the pace of the book where almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger makes for a poor read in sense that you also must have some dull moments in the beginning of it.

I believe it will get better in sense that you will start 'caring' at some point. Also some of the chapters are filled with personal information on characters who you will never encounter again and though I do enjoy a detailed description of the settings, sometime there is just too much info that leads nowhere.

All of this reads like a negative review, but I must point out that I am still enjoying the book and all the things I pointed out are not as grave as I make them sound.

I just finished it. I won't spoil anything here, but for nonspoiler info it does get better at the end. Good enough to get the next book...I'm still not sure. I'm going to let it sit with me for a time before I give it a thumbs up or down.

let me know what you guys think as you get through it.

Cannot read any of the spoiler thread posts, still got a quarter of the book to go. I must say I understand those who mentioned having mixed feelings about the book since I undoubtedly do too.

Had an interesting episode last night, enveloped in the comfort of my bed I decided to pick up the book and go through a few pages, seeing as a busy week prevented me from staying on schedule. I was pretty drowsy after reading a few chapters when all of a sudden the writing got so terrible that it jerked me out of sleep and into an intense alertness. I have no idea what the writer was going for, but the whole segment that features hitchhiking teenagers was written in a clumsy, sloppy manner that I have no words to describe.

I do not know the writing style of Greg Bear, so my guess has absolutely no weight of facts to support it but the only speculation I can offer in regard to this book is a) that Mr.Bear tried getting out of his comfort zone in certain chapters and utterly failing in foing so and b) his editor/publisher made some suggestions that he couldn't really come through with.

About a quarter into the 2nd volume of the story, Darwin's Children. Seems like a pleasant read, nothing extraordinary but what is definitely good about is that it completes Darwin's Radio by telling the reader the rest of the story of all the newborn children, also it is pretty easy to read so far. Will see how the rest of it goes and leave another post in this thread.

Uhm, word of advice... don't bother reading Darwin's Children. It reads like a cheap TV series that just stalls time between commercial breaks. I will try expanding on it in the spoiler thread, when I am not as annoyed about the fact that a good story with great potential got ruined by terrible pacing and myriad of other little things.

Would anybody consider this work "hard sci-fi"? Just working on assigning the last tags for the novels we read.

I think I would. I mean what else would it be?

Yes, hard SF