The Sword and Laser discussion

The November pick will be Zeroes by Chuck Wendig

This is both a great selection and a frustrating one. I'm running behind on my Laser challenge, and I had been planning to read this one next. It is one of many books on my owned an unread pile.

So it's great because I was going to read it anyways and already own it. But it sucks for my challenge, because now I need to find another Sci-Fi book to help me reach my pledge by the end of the year.

Why can’t it go toward your pledge?

I’m excited for this because I also already own it and I just finished Damn Fine Story by Señor Wendig so I was planning to read it next as well. I’d like to see him practice what he preaches.

Dara wrote: "Why can’t it go toward your pledge?"

Oh it will, but I was already counting on the November Laser pick as one of the remaining 3 books I have to read this year. So it means I'll now have to pick 2 more books to read instead of just 1.

Of course I own several more Sci-Fi books in both audio and ebook, so it's not like I'm hurting for choice persay. I just don't want to fall short on my pledge.

OH! Roberator, Roberator, whatcha going to do....

Cool. I bought his book in recent years for my annual Alphabet Challenge (which I finally completed in 2017 after 25 years of trying), so I’m all set to go on this one.

Trike, did you start the counting thread with this?

John (Nevets) wrote: "Trike, did you start the counting thread with this?"

I may have, I don’t recall offhand.

Edit: nope. It wasn’t out yet when I started that thread. I started with Ready Player One and I eventually used Year Zero.

Thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Buried deep in my already-bought TBR heap. Time to dig it out.

Rob wrote: "Dara wrote: "Why can’t it go toward your pledge?"

Oh it will, but I was already counting on the November Laser pick as one of the remaining 3 books I have to read this year. So it means I'll now h..."

Ahh, I see what you're saying. Gotcha.

There is also Invasive which is Zeroes #2 . Since I have already read it plus the November BOM I am one short of my laser pick but will read the next Emma Newman After Atlas number 2 in her series.

Stephen wrote: "There is also Invasive which is Zeroes #2 . Since I have already read it plus the November BOM I am one short of my laser pick but will read the next Emma Newman [b..."

Not a bad idea if I like this one..

Yay, I book I already own and haven't read!

Chuck Wendig has been on my author tbr for quite a while. This is as good a reason as any to finally read him.

Zeroes is available on Hoopla. Hoopla has saved me an Audible credit once again! I wish I had gotten a library card years ago.

I read this earlier this year. Wheee!

I got the audiobook on Libby & I’ll be done in about a week. I have a Dresden Files to listen to 1st. Then it’s Gentleman Bastard #3 after Zer0es.

Questions for those that may have read it already or started early:
1) some of Wendig’s other stuff was too violent (abuse-y) for me. Does this have any physical or sexual violence?
2) is the audiobook any good?

Of course one may preclude the other...

the audio is good, not too violence but I am kind of hard to shock.

terpkristin wrote: "Questions for those that may have read it already or started early:
1) some of Wendig’s other stuff was too violent (abuse-y) for me. Does this have any physical or sexual violence?."

So far [33%] not much physical (several short episodes of beating, not too detailed) and no sexual violence. However, one of the team (?) is a troll and this calls for emotional violence.

terpkristin wrote: "Questions for those that may have read it already or started early:
1) some of Wendig’s other stuff was too violent (abuse-y) for me. Does this have any physical or sexual violence?
2) is the audio..."

I'm about 90% through. Short version of my reply: Yes, pretty nasty at times, mostly in the second half.

Slightly longer: (view spoiler)[While everyone's thresholds are different, by my standards I would say a definite yes to the violence, mostly in the second half of the novel. While there is an awful lot of fighting, it's the terrible things that happen to loved ones that has really got to me. I guess I can handle our heroes in mortal danger - but when a family member has gruesome stuff brutally inflicted upon them, that gets to me. There's more than one case of a spouse watching the love of their life killed and of young children calling for their murdered parents.

As for the sexual violence: Yes, though usually in second hand accounts. They are certainly presented as a bad thing and not glorified, but still could be upsetting. Personally while it did spin my head a little, I thought this aspect was worth including as it was very believable and certainly seems to have big flags all over it saying "This happens. It is BAD. Don't let it happen!". Which I thought was a very good message.

This is laregly a fun and funny adventure to start with, by the time I realised that this was out of my comfort zone, I had to see how it ended. I feel a bit like I'm enjoying a ride in a fast car and I've just realised the breaks don't work. (hide spoiler)]

Troy wrote: "Zeroes is available on Hoopla. Hoopla has saved me an Audible credit once again! I wish I had gotten a library card years ago."

Hoopla often has perfect timing for my book club reads too! Winning!

I'm 75 pages in and considering lemming this one on the grounds that there's less laser in this one that there was sword in last months pick. Does it get better?

Yes it gets better.

AndrewP wrote: "I'm 75 pages in and considering lemming this one on the grounds that there's less laser in this one that there was sword in last months pick. Does it get better?"

Yes but the laser stuff doesn't really kick in until about halfway through. The first half is focused on character building.

There are hints of laser about 1/4 of the way through... definitely near future, not far future to no ray guns yet 👽

10 chapters in, I'm getting mostly 90s hacker movie vibes... Hack the planet, I guess?

If you don't check your messages, there is a note from Veronica about a deal on the e-book from the publisher. It may be available to everyone, but I still thought it was cool for the publisher to do this in conjunction with the group read, so I clicked through there portal and bought a copy for $2.99.

My Starbucks app wasn't working today and I couldn't log in and myy first thought was hackers. Thanks, Sword and Laser. ;)

John (Nevets) wrote: "If you don't check your messages, there is a note from Veronica about a deal on the e-book from the publisher. It may be available to everyone, but I still thought it was cool for the publisher to ..."

Grumble... Seems to be more in the UK,,,

Besides I bought init last week.

One thing that threw me was that nowhere ever has a role playing battle map been on octagons.

The octagon mat threw me too.

Yeah, the octagons were weird, as was the "shining charizard"... feels like Wendig was just referencing some strangely warped pop culture concept of "nerdy things" he didn't actually know anything about.

I'm finished now, and overall it was pretty entertaining, but a bit too close to reality for me to fully suspend my disbelief - they probably wouldn't bother me in a more "science fiction-y" context, but since the whole thing is basically set in present-day America, a lot of the more outlandish concepts (view spoiler)[(like the magic balls, and the whole cyborg thing in general) (hide spoiler)] stuck out like a sore thumb.

Dominik wrote: "Yeah, the octagons were weird, as was the "shining charizard"... feels like Wendig was just referencing some strangely warped pop culture concept of "nerdy things" he didn't actually know anything ..."

Yeah, that was exactly what I thought too.

Dominik wrote: "Yeah, the octagons were weird, as was the "shining charizard"... feels like Wendig was just referencing some strangely warped pop culture concept of "nerdy things" he didn't actually know anything ..."

Ah, I remember my maps of Oerth, Mystara and the good old Starship Warden. I remember my Wildspace tactical grid too.

Hexes all the way :-)

William wrote: "Dominik wrote: "Yeah, the octagons were weird, as was the "shining charizard"... feels like Wendig was just referencing some strangely warped pop culture concept of "nerdy things" he didn't actuall..."

Hexes are also used in tactical war board games....

This is the first book I got from this group after joining. I had read Wendig's first "Star Wars: Aftermath" book, which I absolutely detested and it made me swear off ever reading anything by him, no matter how cool the cover is (and let's face it, some of his books have really cool covers). But, I enjoyed reading his Tweets and interactions on Twitter, so for a month or two I had been thinking about giving him another go.

Got this book and read the first two pages before I was put off, again, by the complete and utter disregard for the English language. Like. Every sentence. Doesn't verb. And then follow those non-verb-featuring sentences with a massively long sentence that is full of all the action the other sentences left out because they didn't have verbs and often didn't even appear to have subjects and so now you just have a really long and confusing sentence that doesn't really put it all back together.

I also didn't like any of the characters particularly.... so overall I'd call this one a miss.

I've read the first 2-3 chapters and it's already too violent for me. My taste for violence has gone down since I used to enjoy watching Kill Bill (I suspect this is related at least in part to the violence that is now an everyday news item in the US news). This violence, while it might be necessary for the story, just seems like it's rawly written. In Jade City (which was problematic), at least the fight scenes made sense and had a "choreography". I'm going to try to read a bit more, but I know that Wendig's work is tough for me (violence-wise), so may throw the towel in early.

terpkristin wrote: "I've read the first 2-3 chapters and it's already too violent for me. My taste for violence has gone down since I used to enjoy watching Kill Bill (I suspect this is related at least in part to the..."

I think it gets more violent further along. I was almost going to suggest it needs a trigger warning (view spoiler)[ for gun violence (hide spoiler)], especially with all the violent events in recent news.

Tina wrote: "it needs a trigger warning"

Unintentional pun

:-?

Tina wrote: "terpkristin wrote: "I've read the first 2-3 chapters and it's already too violent for me. My taste for violence has gone down since I used to enjoy watching Kill Bill (I suspect this is related at ..."

I must be jaded since the (view spoiler)[ inplants and taking over people's brains (hide spoiler)] bothered me more than this. I did feel like the story (view spoiler)[ got more and more dark as it progressed. I wasn't expected that from the jacket blurb. (hide spoiler)]

Chuck Wendig uses analogies like they're going out of style ... like they're best before date was last Friday ... like Congress is debating the Analogy Terrorist Act and it looks to pass.

Also, I laughed out loud at several of them. I'm now a fan.

I whole-heartedly enjoyed it until it turned into (view spoiler)[ The Matrix (hide spoiler)] and then I enjoyed it a little less, but overall a decent read.

Bummer. I bought and listened to the wrong Zeroes. The one by Scott Westerfeld was good, though.

Ha! I do love Scott Westerfeld! I almost did the same, initially.

Ha ha.. I have a similar story. I miss read the book pick and took 'Year Zero' by Rob Reid from the library instead :) Finished that one and the correct one before the end of the month though.

I also almost got the one by Scott Westerfeld haha

AndrewP wrote: "Ha ha.. I have a similar story. I miss read the book pick and took 'Year Zero' by Rob Reid from the library instead :) Finished that one and the correct one before the end of the month though."

I feel like Rob Reid gets enough mention on the podcast that T&V would approve of this additional read.

I don't want to start a new thread for this, as it's such a small thing, but did anyone else flinch at the use of the p-word in this book? I don't know if it is a big deal in the US or elsewhere, but in the UK (at least, in my part of the UK) it has a similar effect to the n-word. For clarification, on page 185 a character references the Pakistani government, but abbreviates the word Pakistani. I'm not sure if I was meant to infer that the character was racist from this line, or why it was used, but it threw me for a moment. Is it just that it isn't an insult in the US? Just curious.

Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth wrote: "I don't want to start a new thread for this, as it's such a small thing, but did anyone else flinch at the use of the p-word in this book? I don't know if it is a big deal in the US or elsewhere, b..."

I literally don’t know any Americans who have ever used the word. I assume the vast majority of USAns have never even heard it. Maybe a few who watch the grittier UK films.

By the way, “p-word” in America doesn’t refer to people from Pakistan, and until you said the country I assumed you meant the word we use as a prefix for cat.