Preliminary Pictorial Review: 1 Pic = ?? Words
No progress with the reading today. I'm still just a little past half-finished, but thought I would offer this, by way of sneak peek at things to come.
The off-green American Express advert shows where I am at present. The Post-Its show passages which caught my eye for one reason or another, whether for possible inconsistency with previous material, unneeded repetition (I got it that Bell was overweight the first time, OK? When I want a list of all the synonyms for "fat", I'll consult Roget's, thank you), questionable usage of language, or unnecessary scientific inaccuracies, etc.
I really did give this one a chance (honest!), try reading it with an open mind. But after a while it just got too hard to ignore the little voice kibbitzing in my ear, so I went back and started marking the things that bothered me. I started with a half-used bundle of Post-Its (the yellow ones), went through it and have moved on to another (blue-gray). I'm wondering if I'm going to have to roust out any more.
I've mostly been occupied with other things today. But have to admit, I'm not looking forward to slogging through the remainder.
Note: In case it's not clear from the following post, I have stopped reading Hunters and do not plan to finish it.
Update: I've changed my mind again and have decided to finish reading it.
The off-green American Express advert shows where I am at present. The Post-Its show passages which caught my eye for one reason or another, whether for possible inconsistency with previous material, unneeded repetition (I got it that Bell was overweight the first time, OK? When I want a list of all the synonyms for "fat", I'll consult Roget's, thank you), questionable usage of language, or unnecessary scientific inaccuracies, etc.
I really did give this one a chance (honest!), try reading it with an open mind. But after a while it just got too hard to ignore the little voice kibbitzing in my ear, so I went back and started marking the things that bothered me. I started with a half-used bundle of Post-Its (the yellow ones), went through it and have moved on to another (blue-gray). I'm wondering if I'm going to have to roust out any more.
I've mostly been occupied with other things today. But have to admit, I'm not looking forward to slogging through the remainder.
Note: In case it's not clear from the following post, I have stopped reading Hunters and do not plan to finish it.
Update: I've changed my mind again and have decided to finish reading it.
posted by SandChigger | 9:56 AM
3 Comments:
I do have one question: Could this book have ever endeared itself to you as long as Omnius and Erasmus were present? I mean, if every other aspect of the novel was good, but M and D were still who they are now, could it have ever received anything but low marks in your mind? At first, I thought the answer for me was "no", but when I did my best to not let that one devastating fact overwhelm my opinion, I found I enjoyed it more. Sure there were lots of parts that just plain sucked--gratuitous Paul of Dune advertisements, the Caladan/Kaitain revisionsist history insert, the unnecessary and frankly tedious repetition--but yet the few shining moments were just bright enough to keep me turning the pages.......Just curious.
A counterfactual of that magnitude is a hard thing to fold one's mind around. :)
The protasis here necessarily alters the apodosis: if every other aspect of the novel had been good...then they would no doubt have presented this out-of-left-fielder in a different way that might have been more believable.
I personally find it difficult to believe that a man who could conceive the character Ship would also create two caricatures like Omnius and Erasmus. It doesn't make sense.
Anyway, could you possibly indicate which moments shone for you? My prejudices have blinded me and I cannot see the light.
Well, I guess "shine" might have been a bit strong "glimmered" or "glinted" maybe? And to be frank (no pun intended) it was the surprises that perhaps made the enjoyment. My ability to suspend my disabelief (to borrow your oft used term) surprised even me. But, for example, while maybe it has no "canon" consistency, I was particularly delighted that Alia is back to deal some well deserved poetic justice to the Baron. It surprised me, and I enjoyed it. And having read Frank's books many, many times-there was no doubt in my mind that it was something he would have written.
The baby Tyrant biting epsisode I found quite surprising, and perhaps because of that, quite pleasing. At present there is no explanation--but would Frank have explained it? There is no doubt in my mind that he had something similar intended for that scene.
You're destined to be an "others" chig, and for good reason. I imagine that if you and I were having a beer with a group, and you heard me discussing these topics, you would definately think the same of me. Yet, when I muse about Hunters, were I to step out of my body and look and listen to what I have to say, I think I would find that ethereal me saying "Hey, it sounds like I kind of liked it.." Yet, it has all the same problems that I find myself despising about the other "new canon." Perhaps over time it will gradually fade out and I will find myself back to where I was, where you clearly are now, and will stop at the end of Chapterhouse. But for now, I can forsee myself reading it again. For now......
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