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comment by kleinbl00
kleinbl00  ·  304 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What are you Reading?

You are the first person I've heard discussing Project Hail Mary in terms other than loathing.





Foveaux  ·  304 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Huh. I haven't encountered people who didn't like it.

I mean I know they're out there, but I'd only heard good things in my circles.

kleinbl00  ·  304 days ago  ·  link  ·  

It pushed Blindsight out of my top two.

I have had probably 3 hours of discussion related to the order, magnitude and direction of why that book is so awful and why Andy Weir must never be allowed to write again.

Foveaux  ·  304 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Maybe Andy Weir is the ultimate litmus test, to sort out cheerful idiots like myself, who can't analyse a thing particularly deeply?

kleinbl00  ·  304 days ago  ·  link  ·  

One of my Hollywood Parables is M. Night Shamalyan. He used to mention to screenwriters, by way of inspiration, that it had taken seven drafts of Sixth Sense before he knew Bruce Willis was dead. I follow this up by pointing out that it was the last time M. Night Shamalyan was required to write seven drafts of anything, let alone anything after the seventh draft, which is why he mostly makes dreck like "The Happening" and "Lady in the Water." It also applies to Kevin Smith - once he made Dogma he no longer had to hear "no" from anyone so he surrounded himself with people who only said "yes." It took him from being the guy who kept Jason Mewes alive to being the guy who nearly died by imitating Jason Mewes.

Andy Weir released The Martian a chapter at a time after spending two years honing it. Each chapter he could see what worked and what didn't. He could see what people liked and what they hated. And he never worked that way again.

The Cold Equations is a short story about pathos that blames physics (or more specifically, engineering) for the plight of its protagonists. It is written by someone with no understanding of physics or engineeringl. Kaleidoscope is the exact same short story (5 years earlier but who's counting) that doesn't need any blame. They teach Cold Equations in English class because Kaleidoscope is too expensive to license; it's a Ray Bradbury. Ray Bradbury had the confidence to know that tragedy fucking happens you don't need to fumblefuck your way through a Rube Goldberg machine to justify it.

Andy Weir is here for the Rube Goldberg machine. What's that quote?

    Despite Wright's orations to the contrary, I came to the conclusion that he was not genuinely interested in the theatre. He certainly knew next to nothing about it. Yet he loved it, as a child loves posies without knowing how to make them grow.

Andy Weir loves science like a child loves posies.

Foveaux  ·  107 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Strangely, I don't think I ever saw this response when you first posted it. Apologies for that.

Everything you've said makes sense!

Who  ·  293 days ago  ·  link  ·  

you've failed to respond to the prompt.

at this point I'm convinced the entire community exists to deal with your inane ramblings, as opposed to engage in actual discourse. which is a bummer, man.

kleinbl00  ·  293 days ago  ·  link  ·  

...what prompt?

Who  ·  292 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'm honestly not sure, and it's pretty embarrassing. I'm sorry. I don't know you. I've just been lurking here for a really long time and had some kind of episode last night. I must have disagreed with an opinion of yours? I'm not entirely sure. My bad.

I can tell you this crow tastes terrible, though. I wouldn't recommend it.

kleinbl00  ·  292 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Here this is me buying you a virtual drink. Hopefully the taste goes away.

For the record, I am insufferable but I try hard not to be, believe it or not.

am_Unition  ·  293 days ago  ·  link  ·  
necroptosis  ·  293 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Don't be a dick.

Who  ·  293 days ago  ·  link  ·  

totally fair. thank you.