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Hm. Novo Send a noteboard - 06/09/2009 11:20:40 PM
The Years of Rice and Salt
Again, an interesting idea looking at a possible alternative history in which the Plague wipes out Europe and most of it doesn't survive leaving China, India, and Africa (if I remember correctly) to continue their expansion and growth into the New World rather than the Europeans.
The book went from interesting to downright boring in no time flat. I forced myself through to the end but I found more enjoyment from the fact that I had finished and would never have to turn another page rather than from the story. No one should waste their time with this piece of junk. Sadly, it still remained highly recommended on WOT. I have no idea why, it sucked.


I only read a few chapters of this before being distracted by other books and things. But I always got the impression from the book itself that it was really good, you knew it was good, it bored you to death but it was going to be really good when you finished it, except that finishing it wasn't likely at all.
Kind of a weird impression. I kept on falling asleep mid-chapter. Not sure whether I'll have another go at it sometime.
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So...what books DON'T you like? Сталин - 06/09/2009 04:57:28 AM 1942 Views
I have a couple I really disliked Brian - 06/09/2009 05:28:38 AM 1340 Views
I agree. Seriana Sedai - 06/09/2009 05:49:28 AM 1338 Views
Ohhhh quotefail! Brian - 06/09/2009 05:54:02 AM 1386 Views
I saw that. Seriana Sedai - 06/09/2009 06:03:29 AM 1227 Views
You actually read Monkey Bridge? Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:47:39 PM 1238 Views
Haha, I'm surprised anyone has heard of it here Brian - 06/09/2009 04:43:59 PM 1221 Views
Some examples Ellestra - 07/09/2009 08:25:37 PM 1140 Views
You think Battlefield Earth is bad, try reading his Mission Earth series. *NM* Brian - 08/09/2009 02:09:22 AM 669 Views
I read those in high school. I liked them. Stupid comic escapism. *NM* TaskmasterJack - 08/09/2009 02:18:31 AM 719 Views
I read them when I was in high school too...at least the first 3 or 4 Brian - 08/09/2009 02:47:12 AM 1257 Views
Re: I read them when I was in high school too...at least the first 3 or 4 TaskmasterJack - 08/09/2009 04:18:07 PM 1364 Views
Re: I read them when I was in high school too...at least the first 3 or 4 Brian - 08/09/2009 06:26:00 PM 1216 Views
No, thanks. I think all my masochism got spent on Terry Goodkind *NM* Ellestra - 08/09/2009 07:25:41 PM 694 Views
Political polemics, for one. Utopian novels, for another. Haggard - 06/09/2009 05:29:54 AM 1154 Views
People always recommend I read Ayn Rand Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:51:25 PM 1322 Views
I started The Fountainhead. It was pretty dreadful. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/09/2009 08:44:31 PM 706 Views
I don't have enough hours in the day to detail this or something even worse Larry - 06/09/2009 05:45:35 AM 1305 Views
The Wanderer's Tale by David Bilsborough. Craig - 06/09/2009 06:24:49 AM 1271 Views
YES! Jessie - 07/09/2009 06:10:29 AM 1159 Views
Oh, a lot of things. But I wonder. rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 07:00:34 AM 1295 Views
Re: Oh, a lot of things. But I wonder. Brian - 06/09/2009 07:05:51 AM 1242 Views
! rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:50:42 PM 1251 Views
Re: ! Brian - 06/09/2009 07:22:43 PM 1139 Views
Well, I do plan on reading it. rebelaessedai - 07/09/2009 03:38:26 AM 1208 Views
In fantasy, Vellum and Ink were terrible Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:54:05 PM 1230 Views
Duly noted! rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:51:22 PM 1206 Views
Oh plenty Geoff - 06/09/2009 09:37:23 AM 1270 Views
I hated Wuthering Heights more than Jane Eyre, but I hated Jane Eyre, too. *NM* Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:54:49 PM 742 Views
I was never forced to read Wuthering heights Geoff - 06/09/2009 03:44:59 PM 1320 Views
I disliked both as well... more than disliked. *NM* Jacob - 09/09/2009 08:59:37 PM 753 Views
Well... Jacob - 09/09/2009 09:01:18 PM 1235 Views
I like all books I have ever read. jh - 06/09/2009 12:09:51 PM 1315 Views
You hated The Brothers Karamazov? Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:59:16 PM 1237 Views
Umm, yeah. jh - 06/09/2009 03:28:30 PM 1406 Views
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. In Ye Olde English, it's harder to translate than ancient Greek. *NM* IndigoAjah - 06/09/2009 05:07:49 PM 712 Views
Oh man, the prologue to the Wife of Bath was horrible. Brian - 06/09/2009 05:11:39 PM 1169 Views
The Canterbury Tales are not Old English. They are Middle English. Сталин - 06/09/2009 05:59:59 PM 1329 Views
Indeed, translating old english, and reading middle english are very very different Brian - 06/09/2009 07:11:13 PM 1225 Views
Edit: ignore this, what I had before was blatantly untrue *NM* IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:11:37 AM 724 Views
As I'm translating some ancient Greek right now, I call bullshit on that. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/09/2009 08:45:46 PM 669 Views
EDIT: Last post was basically equally bullsh*t IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:17:01 AM 1222 Views
I was going to, but I felt I had already been pedantic enough. *NM* Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:34:04 AM 731 Views
Jane Eyre. Chas - 06/09/2009 05:13:27 PM 1239 Views
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel AgentOrange - 06/09/2009 05:58:39 PM 1250 Views
Must remember this. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:53:08 PM 697 Views
What do you mean? *NM* AgentOrange - 07/09/2009 10:43:58 AM 724 Views
Re: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel Nolan - 06/09/2009 08:08:21 PM 1246 Views
well it was the best book in the series *NM* random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:37:27 PM 644 Views
Catcher in the Rye and Heart of Darkness, among the "classics." *NM* Master Radishes - 06/09/2009 08:15:12 PM 706 Views
Ooh! I second Catcher and the Rye. What a piece of garbage. everynametaken - 06/09/2009 08:20:00 PM 1093 Views
I couldn't finish Heart of Darkness random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:39:00 PM 1274 Views
Vellum by Hal Duncan and The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson everynametaken - 06/09/2009 08:16:12 PM 1292 Views
Hm. Novo - 06/09/2009 11:20:40 PM 1212 Views
Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Vodalus - 06/09/2009 08:24:07 PM 1205 Views
I liked a Portrait of the Artist, personally, though the (lack of real) punctuation grated *NM* IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:18:50 AM 638 Views
I didn't mind Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog...I mean Man Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:40:14 AM 1191 Views
Shame on you. Those books are truly Great. Especially Portrait. Joker - 12/09/2009 10:52:40 PM 1237 Views
What? Handel - 06/09/2009 08:28:17 PM 1373 Views
My problem with Wuthering Heights was the characters. Darth_Katie - 06/09/2009 09:40:24 PM 1197 Views
Re: My problem with Wuthering Heights was the characters. Handel - 07/09/2009 12:27:44 AM 1243 Views
Wait...you're a guy? Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:44:27 AM 1242 Views
Indeed. Handel - 07/09/2009 03:01:59 AM 1247 Views
Stars in His Pocket Like Grains of Sand random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:41:16 PM 1419 Views
Oh, and maybe it was lost on me, but I never got much joy out of War and Peace IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:22:48 AM 1127 Views
War and Peace is pretty straightforward Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:43:25 AM 1257 Views
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. Danu - 07/09/2009 12:54:41 AM 1267 Views
Shame! Shaaaaame! *NM* Craig - 07/09/2009 03:06:55 AM 658 Views
Jessie - 07/09/2009 06:13:26 AM 1163 Views
I'm not sure. Danu - 20/09/2009 04:19:52 PM 1506 Views
It probably doesn't help but Craig - 20/09/2009 06:17:34 PM 1592 Views
Don't flame me for saying it.... Erith - 07/09/2009 04:49:40 AM 1319 Views
Nah. rebelaessedai - 07/09/2009 05:18:23 AM 1172 Views
For me it was the other way around. jh - 07/09/2009 07:38:35 AM 1178 Views
You know, I kind of feel that way, too. Erith - 08/09/2009 03:40:58 AM 1202 Views
One last one: Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley *NM* Brian - 07/09/2009 07:44:48 AM 708 Views
*NM* Novo - 07/09/2009 10:33:08 AM 681 Views
Awww man, I thought we got rid of you! *NM* Brian - 07/09/2009 06:05:30 PM 647 Views
Have you ever seen the mini-series? Darth_Katie - 07/09/2009 05:42:45 PM 1248 Views
Never have I seen such good acting in such a dreadful movie/mini-series. Legolas - 07/09/2009 05:44:47 PM 1142 Views
I love really really bad TV movies sometimes....they make for lots of laughter Brian - 07/09/2009 06:06:38 PM 1125 Views
Actually, you might like it. As in, think it's good. Legolas - 07/09/2009 06:11:14 PM 1173 Views
I had a couple of issues with the book that I could easily see being removed from the movie Brian - 07/09/2009 07:01:40 PM 1112 Views
Yeah, you might like it then. Legolas - 07/09/2009 07:20:04 PM 1169 Views
A Confederacy of Dunces. nossy - 08/09/2009 06:13:59 AM 1258 Views
Crap. That's two people now. Chas - 09/09/2009 01:42:40 AM 1126 Views
Don't go by what I say. nossy - 09/09/2009 03:11:17 AM 1211 Views
Anyone with more than half a brain wouldn't. *NM* Brian - 09/09/2009 03:49:34 AM 711 Views
This sounds like a redshirt mission. *NM* Chas - 14/09/2009 01:12:17 AM 701 Views
Re: Hardy Cockatiel of Doom - 09/09/2009 02:42:39 AM 1092 Views
Aw. I liked Confederacy. *NM* Ghavrel - 09/09/2009 06:15:10 AM 684 Views
That probably makes sense for someone from the area though. nossy - 09/09/2009 08:02:23 PM 1220 Views
Oh, I forgot to mention Brave New World. Craig - 08/09/2009 06:26:29 AM 1115 Views
Wha? nossy - 08/09/2009 03:26:29 PM 1268 Views
Wha. Craig - 08/09/2009 06:43:12 PM 1105 Views
*stands and applauds * Here here *NM* M & M Maddy - 08/09/2009 08:19:53 PM 729 Views
The Road andOld Man and the Sea bme - 08/09/2009 04:16:11 PM 1150 Views
Time to give up your man card. *NM* Joker - 12/09/2009 10:53:56 PM 678 Views
The great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliett. M & M Maddy - 08/09/2009 08:24:23 PM 1182 Views
Word! Geoff - 08/09/2009 08:41:27 PM 1325 Views
Hitchickers guide to the galaxy and The Good earth by Pearl S. Buck Murtach74 - 09/09/2009 01:07:01 AM 1221 Views
Ah, man. I love both those books. *NM* nossy - 09/09/2009 08:08:00 PM 716 Views
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