Sandi's comments

Sandi's comments from the Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library group.

Note: Sandi is no longer a member of this group.

I usually read a couple of hours a day. I read at breaks and lunch and in the evening when my husband is channel surfing and my son is playing World of Warcraft. I also read about an hour a couple of times a week on the recumbent bike at the gym. A book light has helped me get more reading in too.

Gbina, I think boys might like "The Last Colony" by John Scalzi also. It's like "Old Man's War" in that it's exciting, entertaining and comprehensible. It avoids the questionable content that makes its predecessor one that kids should find in their own time.

Feed was terrific.

I'm agreeing with Lori, as usual. Girls will read books with male protagonists, but boys will read books with girl protagonists only if they have to for school.

Steampunk is actually a sub-division of science fiction. It sometimes looks like fantasy, but it doesn't have magic. Usually, it's a speculation on what things would be like if something had been invented much sooner than it was (Victorians with computers) or what would happen if our technology was destroyed and we had to develop new technologies, usually on another planet.

"The Difference Engine" by William Gibson is usually considered the first steampunk novel. It is an alternate history that speculates on what the world would have been like if Charles Babbage's difference engine, a steam powered computer, had gone into wide-spread use. China Mielville's work is a blend of steampunk and fantasy. I think "His Dark Materials" falls more strongly under the fantasy umbrella.

One recent steampunk novel that I really enjoyed was "Crystal Rain" by Tobias Buckell. In this novel, human settlers on a distant planet when their wormhole access is cut off due to an interstellar war. They no longer have trade with other planets and their world has had to develop technologies based on what they do have. The author called it "Carribean Steampunk." It's really a fun novel.

Boys are tough. Let him read what he wants, even if you don't think it's good. The fact that he reads is more important than what he reads. Check out this article about boys and reading:

Boys and Books

My boy is 13 and it's hard getting him motivated to read anything even though he's an advanced reader with no disabilities.

Try "Perdido Street Station" by China Mielville. It kind of straddles the line between science fiction and fantasy. It's quite different from anything I've ever read. He has a couple of other books set in the same world.

This year, my biggest disappointment was "Kiln People" by David Brin. I've tried to get through it before and gave up. But, Brin is one of my favorite authors and I just had to give the book a fighting chance. While the ending was better than the beginning, I just never really cared that much about the plot or the characters. And, for a writer who's a science professor, he really came up with something totally implausible with the whole concept of kilning. I was really disappointed.

What you're looking for is called "post-apocalyptic" fiction. A couple of really good post-apocalyptic books are "Earth Abides" and "A Canticle for Liebowitz."

I have to admit that I like the idea of mainstream but clean. I think so many authors put material (especially sexual material) into books that does nothing to propel the story or the characters. It can be jarring and disruptive, especially when poorly written. It's almost as if every book has to have sex in it these days. As far as violence goes, it usually is necessary to the plot in many sci-fi/fantasy books. I rarely find it to be as graphic as the sex though. Violence in most books is pretty sanitized and leans towards a good vs. evil scenario. There are exceptions, of course, but not a whole lot.

It's definitely not "The Left Hand of Darkness". I don't know what it is, but the plot doesn't sound anything like "The Left Hand of Darkness".

I think Michelerc has a point. There is a difference between a shared universe and a series. To me a series is a set of books that you have to read in a certain order and that leave plot lines open to carry into the next book. The frequently end in cliffhangers.

I would define a done-in-one fantasy as one that you don't have to read other books to understand or to get to the conclusion. For example, many of Charles de Lint's books are set in the town of Newford and and they do share characters. But, each individual book can be read without ever reading any of the others.

I just ordered "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch. It is classified as fantasy on Amazon and it looks like it's a done in one.

I loved "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell." It was very unique and didn't even come close to setting up a sequel.

I just read "Declare" by Tim Powers. It was good, but very complex. Check out my review.

I think what I'm seeing is that done-in-one fantasy leans more towards modern settings. They're not the epic quest stories with dungeons, dragons and royalty in a pseudo-medieval setting.

Lori, I've only read the first book of Song of Fire and Ice. Coldfire Trilogy is much, much darker.

Werner, looking at Aaron's bookshelf was a good idea.

Aaron, you have to finish reading C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy. Seriously, you like dark fantasy and it just keeps getting darker and darker.

You also seem to have a literary bent, so you might really enjoy the work of Dan Simmons. Check out his Hyperion/Endymion novels. I've read all four and I've read his book, "The Hollow Man." He draws heavily on classic literature and creates totally new, imaginative worlds. "The Hollow Man" is somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King, in a roundabout way. I think you might like Simmons a lot.

You might like:

Perdido Street Station by China Mielville

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Game of Thrones (Book 1 of the Song of Fire and Ice series) by George R.R. Martin

Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint

"The Practice Effect" by David Brin is and early example of science fantasy.

Is "Perdido Street Station by China Mielville on your list? (I didn't look before posting the first things that came to my mind.)

Sometimes, women use initials so you don't know they're women.

I love everything I've read by C.S. Friedman

And, P.D. James' "Children of Men" is way different than the movie, but still excellent.

Nobody's mentioned Kage Baker yet. I've just recently discovered her and am enjoying her books very much.

C.S. Friedman is very good too.

I love this topic. I would love to see more "Done in One" fantasy novels. I'd also like to see more fantasy that doesn't involve medieval epic quests.

Right now, I'm loving the work of Charles de Lint. He may use the same locale for his books and they may share characters, but each book is a stand-alone work.

I really enjoyed China Mielville's "Perdido Street Station" too. It's very imaginative and doesn't even leave room for a sequel.