I've Got Stirling's Latest!
- Thread starter Grimm Reaper
- Start date
joatsimeon@aol.com
Banned
Diamond, you paid money for it?
-- one usually does for books. Authors generally approve.
Meh, I prefer the Library most of the time. Can't afford to always buy books.
...crunch...crunch...crunch...munch...
Some ketchup and a pinch of salt and it was delicious!
I shall now read it! More bulletins as events warrant!
which book is this?
That's usually how a lot of Stirling books goes. I didn't want Peshawar Lancers or Conquistador to end, but they did. (That's a hint to Mr. Stirling for sequals).
Diamond
Banned
The Sky People.
I got it today; read about a third of it so far. It has the 'usual Stirling suspects' characters, but uber-competent people make far more sense in this scenario (colonizing other planets) than they did in, say, ISOT. The story is fast-paced, and the way Stirling has worked in tributes to Burroughs and the rest works really well without being too heavy-handed. All in all, very very good so far. It might even edge out Lancers as being my favorite Stirling book.
I'm going to order it through the Sci Fi Book Club... all the Stirling goodness at half the price...
Diamond
Banned
Yep, that's where I got mine; $12.49, including shipping.I'm going to order it through the Sci Fi Book Club... all the Stirling goodness at half the price...
Is there a Draka-styled appendix of the world we could post eventually?
I'm interested in page 176. So Gaullist France led the EU, which was Italy, West Germany, and Spain? And who replaced Mao who was more of a reformer?
I'm interested in page 176. So Gaullist France led the EU, which was Italy, West Germany, and Spain? And who replaced Mao who was more of a reformer?
joatsimeon@aol.com
Banned
Shiny Shortness
SF/Fantasy books have gotten much longer over the past couple of generations. Pulp-era novels (originally written for serial publication) were often as short as 40,000 words. If you look at the best of, say, Burroughs or Howard, you find that they're extremely 'tight' writers, with nary a word wasted on anything that doesn't move the story along, and they're surprisingly sparing with adjectives.
Even in the 60's, SF originals were generally in the 60,000-75,000 word range. Nowadays, 200,000 isn't uncommon -- although except for the biggest megastars the publishers are starting to revolt, for cost reasons.
(They don't want to increase the price of books for fear of driving down sales, but given average print runs -- 5,000 units for a midlist hardcover, 20,000 for a paperback -- the longer word-lengths just don't pay because of higher production costs, mostly for paper. I wouldn't have any problem but the bulk of the titles they put out are midlist.)
I came into the field just as the transition was taking place; my first book was about 85,000 words, but since then I've tended to write long -- typically in the 150,000-200,000 word range, because I'm an intensely descriptive writer by natural inclination. It's what I enjoy most about reading myself, and like most people in the business I write the book I'd like to read. 200,000 words is about a thousand pages in manuscript; at a small but practical typeface, 500-700 pages in hardcover.
For The Sky People and In the Courts of the Crimson Kings I'm aiming at a compromise -- around 100,000 words -- as part of the homage to the Golden Age. It also forces you to plot more tightly; like writing poetry in one of the stricter forms, the discipline can be useful.
SF/Fantasy books have gotten much longer over the past couple of generations. Pulp-era novels (originally written for serial publication) were often as short as 40,000 words. If you look at the best of, say, Burroughs or Howard, you find that they're extremely 'tight' writers, with nary a word wasted on anything that doesn't move the story along, and they're surprisingly sparing with adjectives.
Even in the 60's, SF originals were generally in the 60,000-75,000 word range. Nowadays, 200,000 isn't uncommon -- although except for the biggest megastars the publishers are starting to revolt, for cost reasons.
(They don't want to increase the price of books for fear of driving down sales, but given average print runs -- 5,000 units for a midlist hardcover, 20,000 for a paperback -- the longer word-lengths just don't pay because of higher production costs, mostly for paper. I wouldn't have any problem but the bulk of the titles they put out are midlist.)
I came into the field just as the transition was taking place; my first book was about 85,000 words, but since then I've tended to write long -- typically in the 150,000-200,000 word range, because I'm an intensely descriptive writer by natural inclination. It's what I enjoy most about reading myself, and like most people in the business I write the book I'd like to read. 200,000 words is about a thousand pages in manuscript; at a small but practical typeface, 500-700 pages in hardcover.
For The Sky People and In the Courts of the Crimson Kings I'm aiming at a compromise -- around 100,000 words -- as part of the homage to the Golden Age. It also forces you to plot more tightly; like writing poetry in one of the stricter forms, the discipline can be useful.
I got it, enjoyed it quite a bit. My main beef was that it was too short. I really like that sort of setting generally, though-one of my favorite RPG universes was Terradyne back in the old version of GURPS.
I'm looking forward to the second book in the series, although I think Lancers is still my favorite Stirling book. *hopes for another book in that universe*
I'm looking forward to the second book in the series, although I think Lancers is still my favorite Stirling book. *hopes for another book in that universe*
isn't that mainly because they were writing for magazines first, and only got published in books later? AFAIK, Howard was never published in a book in his lifetime...
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I haven't read any of your other books, but I do enjoy the works of Burroughs (I've read all of the John Carter of Mars Series) and Bradbury. I'm reading the The Sky People and it's been quite enjoyable! I like it alot, and I cannot wait for the sequel. It's always nice to see books in the style of the early Sci-fi novels, and I hope you continue.
(I've made a note to borrow the Peshawar Lancers from my friend as soon as I can.)
I haven't read any of your other books, but I do enjoy the works of Burroughs (I've read all of the John Carter of Mars Series) and Bradbury. I'm reading the The Sky People and it's been quite enjoyable! I like it alot, and I cannot wait for the sequel. It's always nice to see books in the style of the early Sci-fi novels, and I hope you continue.
(I've made a note to borrow the Peshawar Lancers from my friend as soon as I can.)