Gold Soldiers by Rob Bliss

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Lester Curtis
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Gold Soldiers by Rob Bliss

Post by Lester Curtis »

This story wasn't bad, once I got past the first half of it . . . before that point, I felt almost totally lost in a jungle of unexplained jargon and acronyms. To be fair, some of the acronyms did get expanded, but it was still a bit much.

After that point, I was able to follow it well enough, although it didn't end the way I expected it to (with the assassination of the Union official).

So: In order to fully enjoy this story, I'd have had to read it a second time. Bad news, Mr. Bliss. Give recognizable names to things next time and I'll like it better.
I was raised by humans. What's your excuse?
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: Gold Soldiers by Rob Bliss

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

Lester Curtis wrote:This story wasn't bad, once I got past the first half of it . . . before that point, I felt almost totally lost in a jungle of unexplained jargon and acronyms. To be fair, some of the acronyms did get expanded, but it was still a bit much.

After that point, I was able to follow it well enough, although it didn't end the way I expected it to (with the assassination of the Union official).

So: In order to fully enjoy this story, I'd have had to read it a second time. Bad news, Mr. Bliss. Give recognizable names to things next time and I'll like it better.
I suspect the unfamiliar terms were Hollywoodese rather than whole-cloth made-up science fiction words... kinda like "Comix Flix Do Boffo BO" (Comic book movies achieve great box office returns). I don't recall seeing too many completely unfamiliar terms -- but my sponge-like brain (all wet and full of holes) probably contains odds and ends from other stories with show-business elements.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London (1876-1916)
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: Gold Soldiers by Rob Bliss

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

McCamy_Taylor wrote:I had no problem with the unfamiliar "jargon". Indeed, a story of this type becomes more plausible if the narrator uses some techy sounding words or phrases. This serves the same function as supplying lots of details. It creates an illusion of reality---since in real day to day reading and conversation, we often come across words or phrases that we do not recognize, at which point we usually wait to see if the new word will make sense in context.

I liked the use of detail. Helped me suspend my disbelief---my belief being that future films will be produced on computers using computer generated graphics, which will seem even more "real" than the real thing. Reality is just an illusion, after all.
My comment to the author was that this was the hardest-to-believe element of the story -- that they would shoot space battles "on location" using real ships, if not full-powered weapons. However, we must assume that the future audiences have become so jaded by CGI effects that they insist on "real" action (or at least are willing to pay a large enough premium for it that they will leave their home sensurround VR suites to see it).

(Also, there is a shortage of the rare earths needed to make powerful CGI-capable computers, but lots of dilithium crystals lying around...)
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London (1876-1916)
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