Comments for More Than Once Upon a Time http://valingstoneways.com/blog Ramblings about Politics, Economics, and Writing Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:43:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 Comment on Two Great Books Are Out Today by scbutler http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/04/13/two-great-books-are-out-today/#comment-377 scbutler Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:40:56 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=320#comment-377 Ohmygod! Four! Though there's never anything here that isn't already on my LJ. S Ohmygod! Four!

Though there’s never anything here that isn’t already on my LJ.

S

]]> Comment on Two Great Books Are Out Today by NewGuyDave http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/04/13/two-great-books-are-out-today/#comment-375 NewGuyDave Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:24:23 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=320#comment-375 Hey, I read this too. Though, I don't always comment. lol Hey, I read this too. Though, I don’t always comment. lol

]]> Comment on Two Great Books Are Out Today by Ian http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/04/13/two-great-books-are-out-today/#comment-357 Ian Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:53:26 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=320#comment-357 Well, Andrew leaves us both in the dust. I guess he would be the prince, which makes you the duke, perhaps. I'll leave the inevitable court jester joke up to you, since it is your blog, after all. Well, Andrew leaves us both in the dust. I guess he would be the prince, which makes you the duke, perhaps.

I’ll leave the inevitable court jester joke up to you, since it is your blog, after all.

]]> Comment on Two Great Books Are Out Today by scbutler http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/04/13/two-great-books-are-out-today/#comment-354 scbutler Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:24:16 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=320#comment-354 Yes, a prince of the three people who read this blog. You, me, and Andrew Ahn. Yes, a prince of the three people who read this blog. You, me, and Andrew Ahn.

]]> Comment on Two Great Books Are Out Today by Ian http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/04/13/two-great-books-are-out-today/#comment-353 Ian Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:20:26 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=320#comment-353 You, sir, are a prince among men. You, sir, are a prince among men.

]]> Comment on Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - The City and the City by Administrator http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/03/22/sam-who-likes-some-things-the-city-and-the-city/#comment-306 Administrator Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:31:43 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=310#comment-306 Now you're really going to get me in trouble. Now you’re really going to get me in trouble.

]]> Comment on Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - The City and the City by Ian http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/03/22/sam-who-likes-some-things-the-city-and-the-city/#comment-305 Ian Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:43:49 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=310#comment-305 Ah, yes, the Clever Boys. I do agree with you, too, that the ending might have been a bit pat. I didn't even anticipate it, but then I'm a sucker and rarely do. How dare you criticize the Teabaggers? Ah, yes, the Clever Boys.

I do agree with you, too, that the ending might have been a bit pat. I didn’t even anticipate it, but then I’m a sucker and rarely do.

How dare you criticize the Teabaggers?

]]> Comment on Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - The City and the City by Administrator http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/03/22/sam-who-likes-some-things-the-city-and-the-city/#comment-304 Administrator Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:20:07 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=310#comment-304 I ultimately liked the book more than I didn't too - that's why it ended up in the Some Things rather than the Nothing column. But the premise really annoyed me. It was just too clever. You might remember someone once referring to Mieville in both of our presences once as one of the Clever Boys. But I wish I could write like him. Excellent POV. Excellent story, especially through the middle of the book. Though the ending might have been a little pat. When I guessed it halfway through the story, I figured there was no way Mieville would settle for it. You're absolutely right about economic models. And as for the current national dialog, I was all but flamed on someone's LJ yesterday for suggesting the Tea Party was not deserving of respect because they show no respect for anyone else. (The blogger's point was that they deserved respect for simply being involved, though he claimed not to agree with what they stand for.) Rationality is in the eye of the beholder. I ultimately liked the book more than I didn’t too - that’s why it ended up in the Some Things rather than the Nothing column. But the premise really annoyed me. It was just too clever. You might remember someone once referring to Mieville in both of our presences once as one of the Clever Boys.

But I wish I could write like him. Excellent POV. Excellent story, especially through the middle of the book. Though the ending might have been a little pat. When I guessed it halfway through the story, I figured there was no way Mieville would settle for it.

You’re absolutely right about economic models. And as for the current national dialog, I was all but flamed on someone’s LJ yesterday for suggesting the Tea Party was not deserving of respect because they show no respect for anyone else. (The blogger’s point was that they deserved respect for simply being involved, though he claimed not to agree with what they stand for.)

Rationality is in the eye of the beholder.

]]> Comment on Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - The City and the City by Ian http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/03/22/sam-who-likes-some-things-the-city-and-the-city/#comment-303 Ian Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:35:11 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=310#comment-303 The premise didn't bother me that much-- I did have my wobbly moments with it, though, and could see where Mieville was skating <i>really fast</i> past the thinner stretches of ice. Alzheimer's patients and dogs are good points; I hadn't thought of those. I started to wobble when I thought about, say, plumbing problems in a cross-hatched building. How do you call the plumber to fix a leak if you're not allowed to know there is a leak ten feet down the pipe? Also, I don't believe vehicular traffic would EVER work. But what the hey. I admired the discipline with which he adhered to the ultra-tight 1st person POV. So tightly, in fact, that I was well into the book before I knew for certain whether the cross-hatching was mundane or metaphysical. It's really unclear at first, but I liked that. As for whether people would actually act this way... Well, I've always rejected as absurd any economic model that relies upon people acting rationally. :-) Just look at the national dialog going on in our country right now-- there are millions and millions of people for whom reality and rationality are utterly inconsequential. I do believe that there are people who would try to live as depicted in The City and the City if they could. (Although getting the whole system off the ground to begin with would be impossible.) It felt like the book starts to indicate that this is a magical universe, however slightly, but then backs away from that later. That bothered me. For instance, with Breach: those guys are <i>totally</i> set up to be shadowy almost-magical ninjas. But later we find... That said, in spite of the things that bothered me, I liked this book, and I find a lot to admire in it. The premise didn’t bother me that much– I did have my wobbly moments with it, though, and could see where Mieville was skating really fast past the thinner stretches of ice. Alzheimer’s patients and dogs are good points; I hadn’t thought of those. I started to wobble when I thought about, say, plumbing problems in a cross-hatched building. How do you call the plumber to fix a leak if you’re not allowed to know there is a leak ten feet down the pipe?

Also, I don’t believe vehicular traffic would EVER work. But what the hey.

I admired the discipline with which he adhered to the ultra-tight 1st person POV. So tightly, in fact, that I was well into the book before I knew for certain whether the cross-hatching was mundane or metaphysical. It’s really unclear at first, but I liked that.

As for whether people would actually act this way… Well, I’ve always rejected as absurd any economic model that relies upon people acting rationally. :-) Just look at the national dialog going on in our country right now– there are millions and millions of people for whom reality and rationality are utterly inconsequential. I do believe that there are people who would try to live as depicted in The City and the City if they could. (Although getting the whole system off the ground to begin with would be impossible.)

It felt like the book starts to indicate that this is a magical universe, however slightly, but then backs away from that later. That bothered me. For instance, with Breach: those guys are totally set up to be shadowy almost-magical ninjas. But later we find…

That said, in spite of the things that bothered me, I liked this book, and I find a lot to admire in it.

]]> Comment on Boskone? by Administrator http://valingstoneways.com/blog/2010/02/16/boskone/#comment-263 Administrator Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:09:51 +0000 http://valingstoneways.com/blog/?p=276#comment-263 I'm afraid my neighborhood is starting to fade. Though we still have some great choices. I’m afraid my neighborhood is starting to fade. Though we still have some great choices.

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