The Book Lair - all book talk ITT

[4score7years]

Worm 2 has had its first short prologue/interim chapter posted.

Worm was quite good, but tbh I don't really feel like it needs a sequel. I feel like most of the story is pretty complete and all the coolest, most interesting stuff has already happened. Plus, the stakes have already escalated to pretty much the highest possible degree so I don't really feel like it could go anywhere particularly exciting.

So yeah. I'm not really opposed to a sequel, and I suppose I am still somewhat interested in where WB takes it, but I also feel like Worm didn't need a sequel, if that makes sense. It's kind of like Mistborn Era 2. Mistborn 3 has a perfect climax that ties together that entire setting pretty much perfectly. The W/W stuff isn't bad, but it's just aggressively ok; it...has no reason to exist, for me. I kind of liked Alloy of Law because it was fun and gave us a little look at the future of that universe, but everything after just felt pointless and meandering, with reveals that just feel contrived instead of clever.

Well, I guess we'll see fairly soon. Apparently he's going to be doing about 5-10 short interim chapters before starting the story proper.


E: I suppose this is more Web Serial talk than Book Talk, but whatever. Half of this is about Mistborn anyway.

[eddyak]

Eh, it's fine. If it's a good web series, it'll do.

I do think Worm has basically gone to the extremes and ended on the highest possible stakes, but it's entirely possible WB's gotten over his "everything must get worse forever" writing style and isn't just going to keep shitting on the MC till the shit pile becomes a shit mountain, and then a shit quarry, then an artificial island made entirely out of shit.

What? It's possible.

I'm interested in a couple of the characters and how they worked out after the series, but he's already killed off most of the characters I find interesting, and I kind of want the others to get their well deserved rest.

[4score7years]

Eh, it's fine. If it's a good web series, it'll do.

I do think Worm has basically gone to the extremes and ended on the highest possible stakes, but it's entirely possible WB's gotten over his "everything must get worse forever" writing style and isn't just going to keep shitting on the MC till the shit pile becomes a shit mountain, and then a shit quarry, then an artificial island made entirely out of shit.

What? It's possible.

I'm interested in a couple of the characters and how they worked out after the series, but he's already killed off most of the characters I find interesting, and I kind of want the others to get their well deserved rest.

I wouldn’t count on it, considering Pact and Twig. Still, I don’t think that’s inherently a bad style. In any case, he has gotten better at creating respites from the misery after Pact. For real though, Taylor had it bad but Blake was just ground into the dirt nonstop for 16 arcs. That’s one area he improved with Twig.

And I do think he’s a genuinely pretty solid writer with interesting ideas. I’m not really sure how a Worm sequel would work, though. For the reasons I said earlier and also kind of because of the stuff you said in your last line there. I’m not all that interested in the rememnant hooks (more Teacher, presumably, and he just sucks) and the stuff I do care about I feel has mostly been resolved satisfactorily.

[eddyak]

Yeah, I felt like it just got worse and worse after Worm. I mean, even in Worm, the worst that could happen was you died to Scion, or, very rarely, didn't die to somebody like Grey Boy.

I very much dislike the style of writing that goes situation constantly gets worse always up the stakes put your characters in deeper and deeper shit they couldn't possibly get out of only wait they do somehow only to find out they were actually in a small pile of shit in the middle of a boat floating on a lake of shit, which is itself in a huge boat swimming in a sea filled with shit, said completely covering the face of a planet that is, you guessed it, made entirely of shit.

It always feels like an arsepull, because the author putting them into those situations feels really contrived in the first place, their hand is way too visible there, and so the character getting out always feels contrived as well, no matter how the author justifies it.

Worm was better about that than Pact, but then Pact did just go buttfuck insane with the ridiculousness he piled onto Blake.

Also, he's a solid writer, but he wants to do action series without really knowing how to write action well. I dunno what's up with that, the Leviathan and Scion fights were really well done at times, but most of his action isn't.

[4score7years]

Yeah, I felt like it just got worse and worse after Worm. I mean, even in Worm, the worst that could happen was you died to Scion, or, very rarely, didn't die to somebody like Grey Boy.

I very much dislike the style of writing that goes situation constantly gets worse always up the stakes put your characters in deeper and deeper shit they couldn't possibly get out of only wait they do somehow only to find out they were actually in a small pile of shit in the middle of a boat floating on a lake of shit, which is itself in a huge boat swimming in a sea filled with shit, said completely covering the face of a planet that is, you guessed it, made entirely of shit.

It always feels like an arsepull, because the author putting them into those situations feels really contrived in the first place, their hand is way too visible there, and so the character getting out always feels contrived as well, no matter how the author justifies it.

Worm was better about that than Pact, but then Pact did just go buttfuck insane with the ridiculousness he piled onto Blake.

Also, he's a solid writer, but he wants to do action series without really knowing how to write action well. I dunno what's up with that, the Leviathan and Scion fights were really well done at times, but most of his action isn't.

Mmm, I see what you're saying. To be honest, it doesn't really bother me all that much. The problem (especially with Pact) was that it piled on and on with barely any respite. I do think Twig was a little better in that regard. It's as dark as the others and everyone has it bad most of the time but there are slower moments where the pressure is off so to speak.

+1 on the action tho. I think it's a problem of...Spacing? Visualization? I don't really know what the word would be. But sometimes I feel it's hard to tell what the fuck is actually happening or where the people are, which makes it hard to visualize.

[Mattias]

I can't speak about his other stories as I haven't read them, but Worm never seemed to be bad for piling shit on the character. Sure the world got constantly worse as each chapter went on, with the city being wrecked, one of the top heroes biting it, Non Stop Infinite Endbringer Mode, and God's Genocidal spree, but through it all Taylor actually kept being in a better place than before. From an abused high schooler, to a member of a group of like minded people, to a warlord in charge of a city, to a member of a legitimate government sanctioned body, to leader of an assault team, to puppeteer of humanity. Sure she had terrible things happen, but she always came out the end better than she started.

[4score7years]

I can't speak about his other stories as I haven't read them, but Worm never seemed to be bad for piling shit on the character. Sure the world got constantly worse as each chapter went on, with the city being wrecked, one of the top heroes biting it, Non Stop Infinite Endbringer Mode, and God's Genocidal spree, but through it all Taylor actually kept being in a better place than before. From an abused high schooler, to a member of a group of like minded people, to a warlord in charge of a city, to a member of a legitimate government sanctioned body, to leader of an assault team, to puppeteer of humanity. Sure she had terrible things happen, but she always came out the end better than she started.

All Worm

Well there was the going blind and the 5+ limbs lost. She wasn't really phased by any of that, though.

[Mattias]

All Worm

Well there was the going blind and the 5+ limbs lost. She wasn't really phased by any of that, though.

But they were all, with the exception of the final limb, replaced rather soon. Too soon for her to angst about them, especially in the middle of whatever fight she lost them in.

[4score7years]

But they were all, with the exception of the final limb, replaced rather soon. Too soon for her to angst about them, especially in the middle of whatever fight she lost them in.

I don’t disagree. I think Pact was worse about this than Worm, and either way it’s something he’s improved on with Twig.

[eddyak]

Mmm, I see what you're saying. To be honest, it doesn't really bother me all that much. The problem (especially with Pact) was that it piled on and on with barely any respite. I do think Twig was a little better in that regard. It's as dark as the others and everyone has it bad most of the time but there are slower moments where the pressure is off so to speak.

+1 on the action tho. I think it's a problem of...Spacing? Visualization? I don't really know what the word would be. But sometimes I feel it's hard to tell what the fuck is actually happening or where the people are, which makes it hard to visualize.

Yeah, Pact was like getting dropped into a lake with concrete boots. Nothing the MCs ever did felt like it changed anything, or affected anyone, or improved their situation in any way, and the moment they were halfway done with the antagonist of the... not week, but about fifteen minutes, there'd be another two or three standing outside the door staring at their watch and tapping their feet.

[4score7years]

Been reading Lies of Locke Lamora lately. I’m enjoying it a lot more than than I thought I would. Great pacing so far (great beginning as well, which is rare), cool setting, genuinely pretty funny if dark humor. The banter between the characters is also quite fun.

[eddyak]

Locke Lamora is a great read, but it does tend to stray out of its element towards the third book. I haven't checked out the fourth yet, but I don't have too much interest in that.

[Mattias]

Fourth book isn't out yet. It got pushed back a year for the third time, this October. Or at least that's what the book store's catalogue system tells me.

[castor212]

finally got my hands on a copy of Arcanum Unbounded

so hyped for edgedancer

[Sesto]

Read Shogun by James Clavell. At first I was kind of annoyed at some of the representation, but I eventually just grew to ignore it. The prose was bland and I really feel like the author has issues with payoffs, as the entire novel is very jumbled with many loose threads that go nowhere despite how long the book is. Still, it was enjoyable. The last few pages were great.

[Gl❀w]

Currently Reading:
Economy of the Unlost- Anne Carson
Men in the Off Hours- Anne Carson finished
They Both Die At The End- Adam Silvera
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers

with guest appearances by Rimbaud Complete

[Five_X]

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I thought you said you weren't free to read my novel yet...

[Nuclear]

Recently finished Patrick Ness' The Rest of Us Just Live Here. At first I thought it was just a typical SoL book, but then it turns out everyone is fucked up. It wasn't the book I wanted to read, but it was the one I needed, especially during my low days in the past few months.

[Gl❀w]

This looks relevant to my interests. I'll add it to my list.

[Nuclear]

This looks relevant to my interests. I'll add it to my list.

Random addendum: the book's cover glows in the dark. Looks pretty cool.