Chris’s
Comments
(group member since Feb 25, 2011)
Chris’s
comments
from the Beyond Reality group.
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If you could have an animal familiar, what kind of animal would it be?
Some of my favorite parts:* The description of Mars society, on the cusp of moving from a pioneer society (small largely autonomous homestead groups) to a planetwide government. Lots of conflicting views, very realistic.
* The idea that scientific breakthroughs bring both real benefits (instantaneous communication and travel) and potential for evil (better weapons). And once science has made an advance, there's really no putting the genie back in the bottle.
* Crisis requires authoritarian decisions -- but don't expect to be rewarded for those decisions after the fact
So, I think there were some big ideas that pulled it all together in the end. But we did seem to spend a lot of time wandering around first. The idea of Martian mother cysts was very interesting, but I don't think it advanced the story. The whole unproductive trip to Earth ... was unproductive. I didn't understand the "science" either, Kathi, but I envisioned it like the matrix -- change the data bits, change reality.
Oh, that was before my time ... thanks for the catch
Well, I've been wanting to revisit the Vorkosigan Saga for quite some time. They are full of action and humor and wonderful characters. There are several varied suggestions for reading order, but the order below makes sense to me (18 books). I suggest skipping the short story, or combining it as an option into the preceding or following book.
Recommended here: https://bookriot.com/vorkosigan-saga-...
SHARDS OF HONOR
BARRAYAR
THE WARRIOR’S APPRENTICE
THE VOR GAME
CETAGANDA
BROTHERS IN ARMS
BORDERS OF INFINITY
MIRROR DANCE
MEMORY
KOMARR
A CIVIL CAMPAIGN
FALLING FREE
ETHAN OF ATHOS
WINTERFAIR GIFTS (SHORT STORY) (skip this, or combine)
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY
CAPTAIN VORPATRIL’S ALLIANCE
THE FLOWERS OF VASHNOI (NOVELLA)
CRYOBURN
GENTLEMAN JOLE AND THE RED QUEEN
Do you read graphic novels? Share some favorites with us.
Share here with any thoughts about the Earthsea cycle as a whole.
Post here if you are reading or planning on reading The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin to finish our Earthsea Cycle series read! No spoilers please.
Well, I finally finished this (I accidentally bought the audio book; I only listen to audio books on road trips, and it's just taken awhile to do that much driving!). I have to say that it didn't grab me at first. As others have mentioned, the premise has been used before; I really didn't need another outsider-looking-in view of human culture in general. But once our narrator really began to experience human emotions, I warmed to him. He clearly became more of a father and husband than the actual human that he replaced. The chapter near the end listing tips for being a good human was endearing. Very glad I read this!
For SF, I nominate Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott. I love a good space opera!For Fantasy, I nominate Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire. This is a standalone novel in the Wayward Children series.
Do you rate the books you read? What criteria do you use to determine what rating you give to a book?
P. Djeli Clark and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki are a couple of current black authors. Also, FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction (https://www.fiyahlitmag.com/) was a 2021 Hugo winner.
Random wrote: "I really hate special months for reading specific things. I never seem to be able to get my shit together enough in order to read the right books in the right time range. :DI finished [book:The W..."
No panic attacks, please! Just take a deep breath, and remember that reading should be a pleasure....
February is Black History Month. Are you reading anything in the spirit of the month? Any recommendations?
Can you believe that we're already 1/12 of the way through the new year?What are you reading in February 2023? All genres welcome.
Whew! I took my time, but finally made it through this one. Short stories aren't really my thing, I tend to put the book down in between each one. But these were united in giving us glimpses of the history of the school on Roke, warts and all. Random, I totally agree that our next (and last) book is likely to feature dragons. Bring them on!
I like audiobooks for long car rides, but I find that humorous stories are best to keep me engaged while driving. Any Terry Pratchett Discworld story will keep me in stitches!
Do you ever listen to audiobooks? What do you like/dislike about them? Share some recommendations if you've got 'em!
Jo Walton's award-winning novel Among Others references many SFF genre books. Here's a list of the mentions: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...All classics? Maybe not ... but quite a few have been pretty influential.
What SF/F books would you include in a class about speculative fiction literature? What do you consider the "classics" of the genre?
