Whatcha reading redux.

Everything cultural, pop or otherwise. Books, movies, music, comics, poetry, random cultural geekery.
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Greg
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Greg »

Most of the way through "Hard Magic" right now. Either Larry Correia has improved remarkably as a writer in a short time, or he's been holding back on us in a shameful fashion making the MHI books as cheesy (yeah they're incredibly enjoyable anyway) as they are.
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cageym
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by cageym »

Off Armageddon Reef by David Webber. Just started a couple of days ago.
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Denis
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Denis »

Greg wrote:Either Larry Correia has improved remarkably as a writer in a short time, or he's been holding back on us in a shameful fashion...
Or MHI has made him enough money to employ a ghost writer... :shock:

Apologies in advance if I'm wronging Mr Correia - IIRC he is, or was, a member here... perhaps it's just that practice makes perfect.

I'm about two-thirds of the way through Wilbur Smith's "Courtney" saga. I had intended to save them for my holidays, but made the mistake of reading "just a few pages" of the first.
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Netpackrat
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Netpackrat »

Greg wrote:Most of the way through "Hard Magic" right now. Either Larry Correia has improved remarkably as a writer in a short time, or he's been holding back on us in a shameful fashion making the MHI books as cheesy (yeah they're incredibly enjoyable anyway) as they are.
I've been staying away from the non MHI work (I really don't need to become slave to another ongoing fiction series right now), but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt on this. When you consider that MHI was his first book, and was initially self-published, I think it's entirely reasonable to expect his writing to improve rapidly as he gets more practice, just as with any other craft. Also take into account that the MHI books are supposed to be a little cheesy, since the whole premise is the combination of "B" movie plotlines and a gun owner's wet dream.
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Jered
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Jered »

The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 3.
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Greg
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Greg »

CByrneIV wrote:
Greg wrote:Most of the way through "Hard Magic" right now. Either Larry Correia has improved remarkably as a writer in a short time, or he's been holding back on us in a shameful fashion making the MHI books as cheesy (yeah they're incredibly enjoyable anyway) as they are.

Or y'all aren't aware of how the publishing industry works.

MHI was written over five years ago at this point. It just took 3 years to get published.

Larry wrote two other books in between, all of which are in stream for publishing or have also been published. Hard Magic is actually the fourth book he wrote; though it's the third book released.

There are now three books in the Monster Hunter series (alpha comes out in paperback shortly), two in the Hard Magic universe (second book is done and in editing), and two books in the "Dead Six" (the first is in editing, the earc is coming shortly. It also was started about five years ago, as a collaborative project and was mostly completed two years ago, but needed editing and re-write. The second isn't finished yet but will be in a month or two).

He's also contracted for 8 more books over the next five years.

The MHI books are DELIBERATEY cheezy. They are basically action movie scripts in novel form. That was intentional.
I know a bit about how publishing works, I worked in a related business for some time. I was already aware of all of this (except I didn't know he was under contract for so *many* books, damn he keeps busy), but it doesn't make what I wrote any less true.

I own both available MHI books, and will probably wind up collecting everything else... but I might enjoy the MHI books a little more if they weren't *quite* so cheesy- and yes I know it was on purpose. Anyone who judges Correia as an author based just on the MHI books, is, I suspect, going to wind up missing out on a lot.
Maybe we're just jaded, but your villainy is not particularly impressive. -Ennesby

If you know what you're doing, you're not learning anything. -Unknown
Sanity is the process by which you continually adjust your beliefs so they are predictively sound. -esr
Greg
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Greg »

CByrneIV wrote:
Greg wrote:
I own both available MHI books, and will probably wind up collecting everything else... but I might enjoy the MHI books a little more if they weren't *quite* so cheesy- and yes I know it was on purpose. Anyone who judges Correia as an author based just on the MHI books, is, I suspect, going to wind up missing out on a lot.

Well, it got him a movie deal. The two published books have both been optioned.

Not that that means a movie will actually be made; but there is a producer, director, a couple of cast members, and a budget already attached, so it's looking pretty solid.

Basically, he got the deal because the books could be translated directly into screenplays.
Hey, I didn't know that. Awesome. I might actually venture into a theater and pay money for that. (I honestly am not sure what the last movie I saw on the big screen was, it may have been Serenity.)
I should note, Larry is a pretty good friend of mine. I'm a minor character in one of his books (a little more than a standard redshirting, but not a recurring; named and gloriously killed in Dead Six), and he's used some of my stories and my "character" as it were in a couple other places.

The point of this was though that

1. he wasn't "holding back" as it were, the books were written very deliberately; with style and pacing such that they would be very much like action movies, because LArry thought they would be good action movies and wanted them to be seen as such.
Not really meant a slight, just expressing a matter of taste (possibly with a poor choice of words).
2. There was three years and three other books in between MHI and HArd MAgic; so even if he had improved (and he did. Hard Magic is definitely his best book, though it's still not where it could be), it wasn't all that quickly.
3 books and 3 years is still damn quick, especially for someone not spending his full time and attention perfecting his craft.
Maybe we're just jaded, but your villainy is not particularly impressive. -Ennesby

If you know what you're doing, you're not learning anything. -Unknown
Sanity is the process by which you continually adjust your beliefs so they are predictively sound. -esr
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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Captain Wheelgun »

cageym wrote:Off Armageddon Reef by David Webber. Just started a couple of days ago.
I'm about 3/4 through that one myself right now.
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skb12172
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by skb12172 »

This summer, I've read...

Open by Andre Agassi

The Big Fight by Sugar Ray Leonard

God In My Corner by George Foreman

My View From The Corner by Angelo Dundee

I am also re-reading the Christian Bible, using a study bible that breaks it down into daily readings over a year's time.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
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Mike OTDP
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Re: Whatcha reading redux.

Post by Mike OTDP »

Just finished The '45 by Christopher Duffy (a military history of the Jacobite Rising). Rereading The Anatomy of Victory by Brent Nosworthy (covers linear warfare tactics, and sets up Nosworthy's works on Napoleonic and Civil War tactics).
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