(no subject)
Jul. 2nd, 2012 09:39 pmSince I got my new glasses, I've been reading things a bit faster! Um, yes. Oops. Embassytown was great. Although I don't understand people saying it's about language. It's not. It's about culture and lying, and the actual linguistic component of it is very handwavy... After that I got on to Whispers Under Ground, the third in the series of Peter Grant novels by that Ben Aaronovitch. Which I enjoyed, although it could have done with being more subplotty.
After this I have been reading The Also People, also by Mr. Aaronovitch, a Virgin New Adventures novel. This is basically a mashup of Doctor Who and Iain M. Banks's The Culture (represented here as the "people", who live on a Dyson sphere, run by aMindgiant AI called "Hubgod". the humans are people, and the amusingly named ships are AIs and considered to be also people, and the entire society regretfully had a war with Idiranssome religious insectoids, which resulted in orbitalsrings being destroyed). I've only just started this really, but it's already provided an interesting look at childrearing in the Culturepeople, that I can't really remember Banks having done. Also, it has provided what might be my favourite line ever at the moment:
After this I have been reading The Also People, also by Mr. Aaronovitch, a Virgin New Adventures novel. This is basically a mashup of Doctor Who and Iain M. Banks's The Culture (represented here as the "people", who live on a Dyson sphere, run by a
"Of course I'm not sentient", said the table. "I'm a table. I have two functions, one is to hold material objects at a convenient height by virtue of my rigid structure and the other is to take your order. What would be the point in a sentient table?"
Bernice considered this. She had to admit it was a good point.