Beautiful bright shiny day. Going to be mid-eighties again. And I do really have to go to town, alas. Phoebe tried flying into my front window, but no harm done. And Verizon called to say they've fixed my phone line as of 6:30 last evening. They seem to be correct: it has not disconnected on me since. Hope it holds.
Thanks for posting the fabulous Ally news and links before heading to town! ♡
Oh how I wanted similar news for tc. {{ { ♥ tc ♥ } }}
We had a glorious morning with 75 degrees, but just now the rain has begun. It promises to stick around for several more days too. And we were within an hour of finishing painting the house.
I don't know about spring, but summer is definitely not here in Illinois. Currently cloudy, rain, temp 43. For tomorrow night they're predicting a low of 30 and possible snow.
The new heating system is getting its first test. One pipe has sprung a slow drip, but they'll be out tomorrow to fix it.
When I checked about twenty past three, the weather magnet on my Earthlink home page claimed the current temp was 89. *shrug*
I just finished Hybreds, third volume of The Neanderthal Parallax. Bill, you'll be pleased to hear that near the end of the book, Mary gives up faith; not merely her Catholicism, but the very concept of faith, of religion. She comes to the conclusion that the whole thing is "a crock." All that really says, of course, is that she never had the gift of faith in the first place, but no doubt it will please the anti-religion faction. I donno. The books were enjoyable. The Neanderthal world was certainly well imagined, or do I mean well rendered? But there's something. There's something just slightly off about them, or maybe they simply didn't totally click with me. When I rate them at Library Thing, I'll give them each four stars rather than five. Of course, such ratings are subjective by their nature. Overall, though, I did enjoy Starplex and Calculating God better. Still, it must be unusual for all three books in a trilogy to be nominated for the Hugo, isn't it? As you know, Hominids won>. Sawyer missed the Nebula this year for Wake but is up for the Hugo for it. I enjoyed Wake, though something bugged me about it. Needless to say, I never got around to writing to Stan about it, and now I don't remember what it was...something about the little blind girl, the heroine. In any case, I wish Sawyer well for the Hugo.
It actually doesn't matter to me that Mary gives up her faith. I don't know if it has come across, but the point is that faith means something different to me than it does to Sawyer or probably to most people, at least in the West. So Sawyers attempts to address what he sees as crucial questions of faith simply have no relevance to my worldview. I believe in what Quakers call "that of God in every man," but don't see how that requires me to believe in either a Creator or an afterlife.
I agree that the picture of Neanderthal society is slightly off, although not in ways that interfered with my enjoyment of the first book. For one thing, I'm skeptical that hunting and gathering could support civilization. At least, Sawyer gives the impression that this is a hunter-gatherer society. My memory is hazy, but I believe this was the crux of a dispute I had with him on CompuServe shortly after Hominids came out. Civilization requies that at least some fraction of the population has significant time available beyond that required for basic subsistance. That doesn't really fit with hunting and gathering as your only sources of food. I suppose the caveat is that if you limit your population so that game remains highly abundant you might be able to provide your basic food needs in about half a day. but at least in Hominids Sawyer never really addresses where the food comes from. Missing that rather crucial point is a criticism I have of many science fiction novels.
And no races ("varities" in modern biological nomenclature)? I'd argue that implies the Neanderthals have never occupied an area that would take more than a few weeks to cross by the fastest available mode of transportation. Which strikes me as implausible. And maybe he addresses this in later book, but I find myself wondering what sort of government exists beyond the local area.
As for Wake, I recall you saying that you found it implausible that the blind girl would be all that desperately anxious to obtain sight that she had never experienced.
Just checked the Hugo ballot. Wake is on it. Wierdly, "Palimpsest" was nominated for both Best Novel and Best Novella. Different works, though. The novel is by Catherynne M. Valente and the novella is by Charles Stross.
Well, first of all, let's get this straight:
ReplyDeleteHoward Dean
We just had a thunderstorm!!
ReplyDeleteParts of Vermont are expecting penny-sized hail.
I had our first of the year last night. Startled me: at first I thought bears or sumpin were breaking into the house, lol! But no hail.
ReplyDeleteGlad it wasn't bears, puddle!!
ReplyDeleteThe crocuses on the south side of the house are done.
The crocuses on the north side of the house began to open on Easter Day.
I'm sad about yet another mile disaster in WVA.
When will we ever learn?
Thunderstorms here last night and this morning. Turned out beautiful and warm later in the day, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd with that, to bed.
Beautiful bright shiny day. Going to be mid-eighties again. And I do really have to go to town, alas. Phoebe tried flying into my front window, but no harm done. And Verizon called to say they've fixed my phone line as of 6:30 last evening. They seem to be correct: it has not disconnected on me since. Hope it holds.
ReplyDeleteHurrah for a fixed phone line, puddle!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the fabulous Ally news and links before heading to town! ♡
Oh how I wanted similar news for tc. {{ { ♥ tc ♥ } }}
We had a glorious morning with 75 degrees, but just now the rain has begun.
It promises to stick around for several more days too.
And we were within an hour of finishing painting the house.
But I'll still take the Spring rain and birdsong.
I don't know about spring, but summer is definitely not here in Illinois. Currently cloudy, rain, temp 43. For tomorrow night they're predicting a low of 30 and possible snow.
ReplyDeleteThe new heating system is getting its first test. One pipe has sprung a slow drip, but they'll be out tomorrow to fix it.
When I checked about twenty past three, the weather magnet on my Earthlink home page claimed the current temp was 89. *shrug*
ReplyDeleteI just finished Hybreds, third volume of The Neanderthal Parallax. Bill, you'll be pleased to hear that near the end of the book, Mary gives up faith; not merely her Catholicism, but the very concept of faith, of religion. She comes to the conclusion that the whole thing is "a crock." All that really says, of course, is that she never had the gift of faith in the first place, but no doubt it will please the anti-religion faction. I donno. The books were enjoyable. The Neanderthal world was certainly well imagined, or do I mean well rendered? But there's something. There's something just slightly off about them, or maybe they simply didn't totally click with me. When I rate them at Library Thing, I'll give them each four stars rather than five. Of course, such ratings are subjective by their nature. Overall, though, I did enjoy Starplex and Calculating God better. Still, it must be unusual for all three books in a trilogy to be nominated for the Hugo, isn't it? As you know, Hominids won>. Sawyer missed the Nebula this year for Wake but is up for the Hugo for it. I enjoyed Wake, though something bugged me about it. Needless to say, I never got around to writing to Stan about it, and now I don't remember what it was...something about the little blind girl, the heroine. In any case, I wish Sawyer well for the Hugo.
Cat ~
ReplyDeleteIt actually doesn't matter to me that Mary gives up her faith. I don't know if it has come across, but the point is that faith means something different to me than it does to Sawyer or probably to most people, at least in the West. So Sawyers attempts to address what he sees as crucial questions of faith simply have no relevance to my worldview. I believe in what Quakers call "that of God in every man," but don't see how that requires me to believe in either a Creator or an afterlife.
I agree that the picture of Neanderthal society is slightly off, although not in ways that interfered with my enjoyment of the first book. For one thing, I'm skeptical that hunting and gathering could support civilization. At least, Sawyer gives the impression that this is a hunter-gatherer society. My memory is hazy, but I believe this was the crux of a dispute I had with him on CompuServe shortly after Hominids came out. Civilization requies that at least some fraction of the population has significant time available beyond that required for basic subsistance. That doesn't really fit with hunting and gathering as your only sources of food. I suppose the caveat is that if you limit your population so that game remains highly abundant you might be able to provide your basic food needs in about half a day. but at least in Hominids Sawyer never really addresses where the food comes from. Missing that rather crucial point is a criticism I have of many science fiction novels.
And no races ("varities" in modern biological nomenclature)? I'd argue that implies the Neanderthals have never occupied an area that would take more than a few weeks to cross by the fastest available mode of transportation. Which strikes me as implausible. And maybe he addresses this in later book, but I find myself wondering what sort of government exists beyond the local area.
As for Wake, I recall you saying that you found it implausible that the blind girl would be all that desperately anxious to obtain sight that she had never experienced.
Just checked the Hugo ballot. Wake is on it. Wierdly, "Palimpsest" was nominated for both Best Novel and Best Novella. Different works, though. The novel is by Catherynne M. Valente and the novella is by Charles Stross.
ReplyDelete