John Birmingham books
- Thread starter mattep74
- Start date
I've "read" (by that, I mean I've listened to the audiobooks while at work) to Weapons of Choice. It's somewhat entertaining (that might have more to do with the narrator than author) and the author has an... interesting style. Don't care half a cent for the vulgarity, or for one of the charactors from the future.
Pretty much. Would it surprise you if I old you he was a member here? 
Although 'Birmo' hasn't posted for a long while. It's almost time for his next book, After America, to come out.
Although 'Birmo' hasn't posted for a long while. It's almost time for his next book, After America, to come out.
You must have led a very sheltered life. They speak quite tamely for soldiers and sailors.
I didn't mean the way they talked; have enough of that at work (and I don't care for it either). Perhaps smut would have been a more apt world than vulgarity.
Smut?
Well of course soldiers and sailors make smutty jokes. I can't imagine why you think that's out of place. If you think of actual sex scenes, I can only imagine J Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson, which was offscreen, or Beria playing with his nob before Stalin phones him. Both of those are played for laughs. Again, I can't see the problem.
Certainly preferrable to Harry Turtledove sex scenes, for instance - those are played straight, horribly written, and most horrifically of all, it seems HT actually intended them to be like that
Well of course soldiers and sailors make smutty jokes. I can't imagine why you think that's out of place. If you think of actual sex scenes, I can only imagine J Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson, which was offscreen, or Beria playing with his nob before Stalin phones him. Both of those are played for laughs. Again, I can't see the problem.
Certainly preferrable to Harry Turtledove sex scenes, for instance - those are played straight, horribly written, and most horrifically of all, it seems HT actually intended them to be like that
PipBoy2999
Banned
I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, but was mightily pissed off by the third. Jumping over two WHOLE YEARS of storyline, then killing off one of the major characters off screen? WTF?
Plus, I do not care for authors who are too lazy to maintain internal consistency. If you say something as a fact in book one, then by God it had better be the same in book three. In this case, the reference to how the US was 'basically a third world country' and would be manufacturing copies of the AK-47, yet somehow during the TWO YEARS we missed out, manufacturing facilities in the US are now churning out 2010 copies of the M4, complete with bells and whistles? Bah.
Plus, I do not care for authors who are too lazy to maintain internal consistency. If you say something as a fact in book one, then by God it had better be the same in book three. In this case, the reference to how the US was 'basically a third world country' and would be manufacturing copies of the AK-47, yet somehow during the TWO YEARS we missed out, manufacturing facilities in the US are now churning out 2010 copies of the M4, complete with bells and whistles? Bah.
The M4 is still at heart just a crap old 1960s M16 with most of the many flaws ironed out; not much of a stretch. It's really only just become the weapon it would've been without all the resistance to change and the unwillingness to address its problems that held it back. There was no mention of flashy 2010 gubbins like EOTech sights or ACOGs that have been the real advance in 21st century small arms.
A problem is that it has nothing going for it that would cause it to be chosen other than being the US Army service rifle when the author wrote the book.
It's not related to any of the weapons the uptimers use. They won't bring any advantages to creating it over others. It's obsolete by that time.
It doesn't fit the downtime military culture or tactics, which will still have a huge influence on the military. It would be by WWII standards a very expensive, complicated, finicky, underpowered, short range weapon. It doesn't have any commonality with downtime manufacture.
None of the reasons it is used, having largely to do with inertia and logistics are favorable in this case.
It's not related to any of the weapons the uptimers use. They won't bring any advantages to creating it over others. It's obsolete by that time.
It doesn't fit the downtime military culture or tactics, which will still have a huge influence on the military. It would be by WWII standards a very expensive, complicated, finicky, underpowered, short range weapon. It doesn't have any commonality with downtime manufacture.
None of the reasons it is used, having largely to do with inertia and logistics are favorable in this case.
I actually liked the Weapons of Choice series. However a lot of little things bug me. Mainly I just don't like the fact that they are from 2021. The technology just seems to different from 2004 to 17 years later.
Now I could be ok with the the technological and even social changes (they are way out there for the amount of time) but I honestly think he picked 2021 just to have that moronic "it takes 20/21 vision" comment.
I do think that Birmingham is a good writer. Sorry but his more or less contemperaries Turtledove, Flint, and Weber are all starting to suck and worse are becoming boring. Hopefully Birmingham keeps writing relatively slowly and doesn't just keep writing the same story over and over again (HT and DW this means you) and doesn't just listen to a small number of die hard fans (EF and DW this means you).
Now I could be ok with the the technological and even social changes (they are way out there for the amount of time) but I honestly think he picked 2021 just to have that moronic "it takes 20/21 vision" comment.
I do think that Birmingham is a good writer. Sorry but his more or less contemperaries Turtledove, Flint, and Weber are all starting to suck and worse are becoming boring. Hopefully Birmingham keeps writing relatively slowly and doesn't just keep writing the same story over and over again (HT and DW this means you) and doesn't just listen to a small number of die hard fans (EF and DW this means you).
Is it just me or does this question make sense as I am not clear what the poster is asking. I actually enjoyed John Birmingham's books if that was the question
stirlingdraka
Donor
I agree with you John Birmimngham is a good writer. I have completely given up on Harry Turtledove.
I liked the premise of Weapons of Choice and ignored the overall storyline. Birmingham is an excellent writer, but I still can't get over the fact that the beginning scene between the future force and Allied force took up about half of the book.
I liked the Weapons of Choice series, but I find the politics of the author to be somewhat obvious and annoying. Politically snide is probably how I'd describe it. I thought his 2021 was an excessively technologically advanced version of the world as it is viewed today by Clash-of-Civilization-heads and lost some suspension of disbelief from that.
That said, I think they were pretty good reading. I don't understand references to smut, there wasn't any more of that than I'd expect from any novel for adults. Certainly not the Turtledovelian horrors.
That said, I think they were pretty good reading. I don't understand references to smut, there wasn't any more of that than I'd expect from any novel for adults. Certainly not the Turtledovelian horrors.
I agree about the politics. Weapons of Choice was bearable. The new series though... Argh. If it weren't for the boat people, or the lone Seattle guy fighting the militarists on his own, the book would be unreadable thanks to the sledgehammer politics. I hope he tones it down a bit for After America.
After America seemed a little tighter. Juiliann, Pedro, Kipper, and Catlin are return perspectives. There is also a new Islamic POV character. Pedro's POV is out of time with the rest of the characters, whose main plots occur over the course of a couple of days. AA starts about 3 years after the wave disappears.
I really liked the Weapons Of Choice series. That is until the third book which I hate with a fury. Pretty much absolutely everything from said book is fucking terrible, stupid and Annoying. Important characters are killed off without a dozen words. Other characters turn into complete and total Deucebags with about as much attention being paid. The tech and industrial developments in the last ones are completely and utterly retarded to say the least. For instance its mentioned that the invasion force of Calais is pretty much completely equipped with nearly unmodified downtime weapons because the US decided to focus all its resources on building a small pool of higher tech weapons.
The new series I actually like quite a bit though there are more then a few problems. The second book from what I have seen is a lot better and I am looking forward to buying it.
The new series I actually like quite a bit though there are more then a few problems. The second book from what I have seen is a lot better and I am looking forward to buying it.
usertron2020
Donor
What was he thinking?
You hit the nail on the head. You could do a PhD on what was wrong with that book. Apparently, Birmingham has little research assistance, and less editorial work done on his writings. My favorite screwup? The IJN battleship Yamashiro, melted into slag in a shipyard in Japan (in 1942), and sunk on the high seas (in 1944). Both times by the same Australian submarine. Captain Willet seems to have some explaining to do.
Anyone know why every single battle, IN ALL THREE BOOKS, that results in a curbstomp for the Axis, except northwest Europe, is SKIPPED? I don't count Singapore and the Philippines. Those were raids, not battles. Except for expendable ground troops, the Japanese didn't lose much.
I'll bet everyone this: Birmingham never read Albert Speer's wartime memoir. If he had, he wouldn't have such a fantastically exaggerated sense of respect for what can be accomplished with slave labor.
All that, and just glossing over the best part in book 3, the continuing culture shock going on. Why not show how the revelations have effected the leadership of the Black community of the time?
You hit the nail on the head. You could do a PhD on what was wrong with that book. Apparently, Birmingham has little research assistance, and less editorial work done on his writings. My favorite screwup? The IJN battleship Yamashiro, melted into slag in a shipyard in Japan (in 1942), and sunk on the high seas (in 1944). Both times by the same Australian submarine. Captain Willet seems to have some explaining to do.
Anyone know why every single battle, IN ALL THREE BOOKS, that results in a curbstomp for the Axis, except northwest Europe, is SKIPPED?
I don't count Singapore and the Philippines. Those were raids, not battles. Except for expendable ground troops, the Japanese didn't lose much.I'll bet everyone this: Birmingham never read Albert Speer's wartime memoir. If he had, he wouldn't have such a fantastically exaggerated sense of respect for what can be accomplished with slave labor.
All that, and just glossing over the best part in book 3, the continuing culture shock going on. Why not show how the revelations have effected the leadership of the Black community of the time?
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