Susanne's comments (member since Jun 04, 2009)

Susanne's comments from the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club group.

Ooooh, majicks! :)

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera springs to mind. All magic is done by employed the strength of "furies" - which I interpret to be spirits (of earth, water, metal and air). No-one's a magician in Alera, they're fury-crafters. I fell in love with Butcher's system of magic right away in 'Furies of Calderon' and it remains one of my favourite series.

I'm almost through... Still not sure what I think of the book. I want to love it, of course, because so many people do, but it turns out that I really, really am a reader for plot and characters. Ideas, concepts, philosophies, etc don't seem to do it for me when presented in big blocks and chunks, without moving the story along much.

The actual story-line I quite like - first contact is one of my favourite sf themes, and Ai's trials and tribulations to win over the Gethenians make for a suitable vehicle to describe this very alien nation... There's just not enough story, I think.

I have no idea how I'm even going to attempt a review yet!

I second The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.

Kelly - QI is the best comedy quiz show of all time. Hosted by Stephen Fry, which is pretty much the highest endorsement any tv programme can boast... ;) It's a very VERY funny show. Try Youtube a clip or two, it is SO worth it!

Michelle M. wrote: "I just saw him live. An insane, bitter, hilarious man."

*dies with the jealous* Dude is so damn funny. Go get Black Books. Really. You get Dylan Moran PLUS Bill Bailey. It's like Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one! :)

I'm slowly working through Stephenson's Quicksilver. I understand opinions vary wildly on this one, but I, for one, am loving it!

Jealous of those amongst us who haven't read the First Law trilogy or Best Served Cold yet - you've got SUCH a treat coming your way! :)

I'm having SUCH fun re-reading this. My favourite laugh-out-loud moment was the "coal scuttle [TM:]" scene. To this day that makes me giggle like a fool.

I wonder if Good Omens really is an example of "British Irony" or whether it's just another example of the authors' exceptional knack for effective word-play and analogies. But I do suspect that readers who know what a particular phrase or scene refers to might get more out of the book than those who don't - whether it's more laughter or more astonishment.

Pratchett is a master of word-play and analogy, Gaiman the king of myth. It shows here just as much as it does in the Discworld series and Sandman. I'm not convinced irony has that much to do with it. Just me?

I've just finished the first chapter, and while I find some of the political/cultural concepts intriguing, I haven't found the narration very engaging yet. Does the first-person narrator change at some point? Because he's the kind of story-teller I'm afraid will bore me very quickly. Which would be a shame, because I do like the premise here.

Hoopla, I didn't notice the Vonnegut on the shelf. Sorry. ;)

Anyway, scrolling through all these very excellent nominations, I heartily second Fahrenheit 451, for what it's worth. That books is so wonderful it haunts me to this day. Would love to read it again.

But then, everything mentioned sounds real exciting!

Astra wrote: "No. You can add me to the club. I hate the series."

Excellent!Thank you for this, made me feel better. I thought I was missing something. ;)

Funny though, isn't it, how taste differs? We both dislike Gene Wolfe, but then I LOVE American Gods and you hate it. :D

I'll second Oryx and Crake because I've yet to read Ms Atwood and I'd really like to know what makes her so determined that she's not writing SF.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut was one of my favourites in uni, so I'll have to recommend that, too. :)

I'm devouring Best Served Cold at the moment. I'm a huge fan of the First Law trilogy, and so far, BSC is living up to my expectations.

Re: Gene Wolfe. Am I the only person in the entire world who doesn't get Book of the new sun? :( I tried that a year ago and just couldn't get into it at all. I don't quite remember why, though. Maybe I should give it another shot, judging from the endorsement from you guys... :)

Hi all,

nice to see so many SFF readers here. I'm currently in love with Erikson's Malazan series (which I only discovered last year), and the Fables comics by Bill Willingham. I also really like Neal Asher and Charlie Stross.

Favourite fantasy author: Neil Gaiman.
Favourite sf authors: Iain M. Banks.

I've never been in a book club, so quietly excited. :)

Cheerio,
Sus