Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

First impressions thread

I read this and its follow-up Mars Plus in 2014. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts.

I'm slowly getting into it, the writing is very good. Refreshing after a few clunky reads I had to endure earlier this year.

Some of the technology is cute in its naivete, but I'll talk more about it in the spoiler thread.
In the middle of a move now.

Just started this, seems intriguing. Good prose, lots of whimsy and social commentary. Seems like a lot of work to convert a man in this way! Happy reading all!

I read it several weeks ago. It had been enticing me for awhile, as a winning novel. Not surprisingly, I found it to be sort of companion piece to Gateway, even though that turned into a series (ill-advised, so I’ve heard). The style feels very similar to me. It was strange but I enjoyed it.

I plan to join you in like 3 days

100 pages in. Mostly enjoyable so far. I love the analytical nature of the project discussions by the Man Plus team. There are a couple of religious figures in the book that have a strange role (and relationship) in the story.

This was one of the first books I read from the adult SF section of the library. I think I was something like... 10? 11? It made a great impression on me, although I didn't really understand it all too well. I still remember how he was able to learn to play the guitar in his new body: beyond that, I can't really recollect anything. :D

It is kind of a fun paradox to have flying/self-driving cars, advanced space travel and other futuristic sci-fi elements, and yet the IBM computer is three floors down and is the size of a room. You can't win 'em all, I guess.

Antti wrote: "This was one of the first books I read from the adult SF section of the library. I think I was something like... 10? 11?"

I also started with adult SF (But not this book) at a similar age and looking back I see that I missed a lot of the story.

John wrote: "It is kind of a fun paradox to have flying/self-driving cars, advanced space travel and other futuristic sci-fi elements, and yet the IBM computer is three floors down and is the size of a room. Yo..."

Another thing I was surprised was how the author was blindsided in terms of speech hardware/software. Can't recall the exact quote, but I remember how the voice of the "man+" had a weird screeching sound due to an artificial larynx. It would not be a long stretch to assume that recording and communication technologies would progress to allow for some sort of a "voice box" installed

Art wrote: "John wrote: "It is kind of a fun paradox to have flying/self-driving cars, advanced space travel and other futuristic sci-fi elements, and yet the IBM computer is three floors down and is the size ..."

Yes, I do recall that passage. Good point!

John wrote: "It is kind of a fun paradox to have flying/self-driving cars, advanced space travel and other futuristic sci-fi elements, and yet the IBM computer is three floors down and is the size of a room. Yo..."

No less surprising that after a computer beat a grandmaster at chess in the mid-1990s, but 25 years later we still see two-legged robots that are not as good at walking as an average three-year-old is. Some things seem easy to implement but are actually quite hard

Of. 179: “I’m not used to it either, Dorrie.” ...”It’s different now. I feel as if I’m carrying something on my back - the world, maybe.”

Finished this today. At face value it was a good book, interesting story and plot development.

pg. 230. Reading this last night, in the space of a heartbeat, I was struck by the book's parallels (in my mind at least) to The Six Million Dollar Man and The Martian by Weir. And who the heck is "we"!? The book lapses regularly - and jarringly at times - into a first person's perspective, and it's not Roger, or Brad, or Kayman...who is it!? Read on, all will be revealed. Hopefully. Thanks for all the great thoughts.

Finished. Enjoyable, only a tad dated. Hopeful ending. Guess I'll mosey on over to the spoiler thread. Adieu.

Finally got the book! Should have time for finish it before the end of the month :D Looking forward to it

Joe wrote: "Finally got the book! Should have time for finish it before the end of the month :D Looking forward to it"

Happy reading!