Different types of ships
Friday, 17 April 2009 09:27![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
usuallyhats
Last night I finished Excession by Iain M. Banks, which I must admit I was a bit disappointed in, as I usually love his books. It was well-written and readable, with lots of inventive ideas, but I just didn't really like any of the characters. One of the things I usually praise about Banks is how well he writes women, but here... not so much. I just don't buy that in the Culture, advanced alien far-future society, the women raise the babies and the men wander off to do their own thing, for a start, and I hated that it was introduced through - this is getting spoilery, so it's time for a cut - a look into "the arid soul of a bleakly ambitious woman", who always felt empty because her mother went off to pursue her career instead of staying with her, and oh by the way her father did the same thing but she didn't really mind about that. GAH. Also, the end was a HUGE copout - not so much the bit with the Excession, since the Sleeper Service's realisation about how it was reacting did make sense, but the fact that pretty much all the dead characters turned up alive and they all lived happily ever after really made me roll my eyes. And I hated the Affront and kind of thought the conspiracy had the right idea - I can't believe that Genar-Hofoen actually went through with turning into one.
Have also finished watching ALL of Hornblower now, woe. I have nothing much to say about Loyalty other than ♥ ♥ ♥ as I just loved it, but I was not so keen on Duty as Hornblower was a bit of a git in it at times, and also the effects were hilariously, distractingly, terrible. I don't usually mind bad effects, but these were just shoddy: lots of scenes in boats and ships where the background had been added in and made to go up and down later on, plus establishing shots of ships at sea where the snow/rain was obviously falling in front of the picture, rather than into it. Poor form, ITV. I know they're permanently broke, but honestly. That being said, I do love this series a great deal and am very sad that it looks like there won't be any more.
My favourite thing about today is that it's Friday.
Have also finished watching ALL of Hornblower now, woe. I have nothing much to say about Loyalty other than ♥ ♥ ♥ as I just loved it, but I was not so keen on Duty as Hornblower was a bit of a git in it at times, and also the effects were hilariously, distractingly, terrible. I don't usually mind bad effects, but these were just shoddy: lots of scenes in boats and ships where the background had been added in and made to go up and down later on, plus establishing shots of ships at sea where the snow/rain was obviously falling in front of the picture, rather than into it. Poor form, ITV. I know they're permanently broke, but honestly. That being said, I do love this series a great deal and am very sad that it looks like there won't be any more.
My favourite thing about today is that it's Friday.
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no subject
Date: 17 Apr 2009 09:21 (UTC)I have a tendency to abandon books if I can't get on with the characters... :(
Hooray for Friday - it's my day off! Woot!
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Date: 17 Apr 2009 09:28 (UTC)I often do that too, but I usually like Iain M. Banks so I stuck with this one. Not sure it was entirely worth it...
Paul McGann is excellent in Hornblower! He's not in it until about halfway through, but the early ones are worth watching too.
no subject
Date: 17 Apr 2009 09:36 (UTC)I often do that too, but I usually like Iain M. Banks so I stuck with this one. Not sure it was entirely worth it...
Shucks!!
Paul McGann is excellent in Hornblower! He's not in it until about halfway through, but the early ones are worth watching too.
It's been on my Amazon wishlist for aaaaaaaggggeeeesss but I keep buying other things instead! o_O
no subject
Date: 17 Apr 2009 11:47 (UTC)no subject
Date: 17 Apr 2009 12:14 (UTC)