4 ms·

Seeing this on HN, reading the article and the comments, really reminds me of how much I respect KSR. His 2312 brought me back to reading hard sci-fi after too

Seeing this on HN, reading the article and the comments, really reminds me of how much I respect KSR. His 2312 brought me back to reading hard sci-fi after too long not really reading much fiction at all for a long time. The ideas presented in it reminded me of a sense of wonder at the scope of future possibilities that had previously been lost under an ever increasing pile of marital, parental, and financial responsibility. The problem I have now is, he somehow seems to write 'em faster 'n' I can read 'em (the responsibility pile still exists and is as demanding as ever) Anyway, thanks KSR. (Mostly off topic, but I'm currently reading Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander, the first in a series of 20 nautical-historic fiction novels, and it's incredibly tough going with O'Brien's detailed and accurate nautical terminology, of which I know nothing - I just loved the movie. A challenging read - and I've covered The Mars Trilogy and some lighter Pynchon).

dkarl 5y ago
Do you have A Sea of Words, the lexicon for reading O'Brian's novels? I highly recommend having it by your side while you read. It helps a lot.
- BLKNSLVR 5y ago
  Thanks for the tip, I didn't know that existed. I'll be following that up post-haste. One terminology that particularly struck me was what's now referred to as a "cut splice"[0]. The use that particular word was jarring, in that it's not the type of novel to have cursing scattered through it. The reason for its usage is historical accuracy. [0]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_splicing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_splicing
Freak_NL 5y ago
What a coincidence. I've just finished David Brin's Existence (2012). The edition I have has a few pages of 2312 at the end as a form of 'if you liked this, you might like…' advertising. I guess I should look into this book.
robotresearcher 5y ago
On O'Brien, I found that I could just relax into the nautical terminology and allow myself to not understand every word: just enjoy the texture. And after a couple of books you'll find you've picked most of it up. After a dozen books you can recognize the names of 20 different sails, and explain when they are used. I realize that doesn't sound like obvious fun, but it's embedded in great stories of adventure and friendship. I've read the whole sequence twice and it's one of the most enjoyable reads of my life.

dkarl 5y ago

Do you have A Sea of Words, the lexicon for reading O'Brian's novels? I highly recommend having it by your side while you read. It helps a lot.

BLKNSLVR 5y ago
Thanks for the tip, I didn't know that existed. I'll be following that up post-haste. One terminology that particularly struck me was what's now referred to as a "cut splice"[0]. The use that particular word was jarring, in that it's not the type of novel to have cursing scattered through it. The reason for its usage is historical accuracy. [0]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_splicing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_splicing

Freak_NL 5y ago

What a coincidence. I've just finished David Brin's Existence (2012). The edition I have has a few pages of 2312 at the end as a form of 'if you liked this, you might like…' advertising. I guess I should look into this book.

robotresearcher 5y ago

On O'Brien, I found that I could just relax into the nautical terminology and allow myself to not understand every word: just enjoy the texture. And after a couple of books you'll find you've picked most of it up. After a dozen books you can recognize the names of 20 different sails, and explain when they are used. I realize that doesn't sound like obvious fun, but it's embedded in great stories of adventure and friendship. I've read the whole sequence twice and it's one of the most enjoyable reads of my life.