Chris’s Comments (group member since Feb 25, 2011)

Chris’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

I loved this book. I appreciate first contact stories; the best part is seeing if the alien truly seems "alien", and then figuring out how they can communicate. It was also interesting in that Rocky was a wizard engineer (with a magic material that could apparently print anything), but that he wasn't a strong scientist. Really engaging story that kept me engaged to the final page.

I'm trying to get through the Hugo nominees, and I'm in the Lodestar Awards (young adult) category right now. Absolutely loved the clever A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking.

Summertime! Or back to school? No matter what's in store for you in August, I hope it includes reading some good books. What are you reading in August? Post here -- any book, any genre welcome

Although the impetus for the story is an impending earth invasion, the book is almost entirely concerned with events on earth. Humanity is ill-equipped to deal with catastrophes that occur over centuries; it is almost impossible to mobilize and sustain a sense of urgency over such a long period. So many big ideas to keep my brain working:
* The Wallfacers, who kept their plans secret; and the Wallbreakers who tried to infer their plans anyway
* The actions of "Spaceship Earth", demonstrating behaviors in the face of scarcity of resources (and foreshadowing how this might play out between civilizations)
* The very Chinese emphasis on psychological fitness and morale

Yet against the backdrop of all of these big ideas, we also have a detailed story of Luo the reluctant Wallfacer.

Detailed and plausible, imaginative, and gripping. Looking forward to book 3!

I raided the local used book stores and found a couple by Jack McDevitt that I hadn't read before (Cauldron and Starhawk). I also just finished The Witness for the Dead, a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery set in the same detailed and believable world as her Hugo-nominated The Goblin Emperor.

Still working through a re-read of The Dark Forest for our series read.

Kathi wrote: "Finished The Long Earth and will be continuing the series.
And tonight I finished Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan, 9/10. It’s book 1 in his Legen..."

I really enjoyed the first four or so "Age of " books by Sullivan. But the last couple of books were tomes, packed with too much plot, and missing the fun of the first books. Overall, though, an enjoyable series.

Reading Reindeer 2021 On Proxima Centauri wrote: "I'm back from Hospital and reading again, want to participate. I very much admire this author."
Welcome back home! Join in when you're able.

I found this article on Gizmodo; The Three Body Problem is being released as a podcast: https://gizmodo.com/the-three-body-pr...

I propose The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers for SF. While considered part of the Wayfarer series, they each stand alone in a single universe, and can be read in any order.

For Fantasy, I suggest again The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. This is set in the same world as the Hugo-nominated Goblin Emperor, but can be read stand alone.

Have you finished reading The Dark Forest by Liu CixinLiu Cixin, book 2 in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy? What did you think?

Spoilers OK here (thru book 2 only).

Please check in here and let us know if you’re reading or planning to read The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin, book 2 in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy.

NO spoilers in this topic thread, please!

Kathi, I think you're right that it really helps to view this story through a 1961 lens. With elements of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, our hero is transported to a medieval fantasy age to find himself playing the role of a mythical hero. While fresh then, many of the elements of the story are now standard tropes in the fantasy genre. A comfortable read, a way to look back at the origins of the genre, but not one that breaks new ground for us today.

Well, this story had some interesting ideas. Instead of reaching for the stars, what if we could expand sideways, so to speak, into other near-Earths that are already suitable for life? How does it change our ideas of scarcity and value, when you can only bring what you can carry, but it can't be iron? What does it mean to be a nation, or to be a government? What about people who cannot move between worlds?

But in spite of those interesting ideas, I found the whole thing rather dreary. Terry Pratchett is known for a sparkling wit and clever wordplay, but I didn't find much of that here (of course, requiring a POTATO in the mechanism was delightfully absurd!). The long slog across many possible earths in an airship left me rather cold. Unless someone can tell me the later books are more engaging, I think I'll stop the series here.

Summertime! What are you reading in the long hot days of July? Post here -- any book, any genre welcome.

Final polls are up for our September BOTMs, and will be open through Wednesday June 30. Let's vote!

Science Fiction: Final SF Poll

Fantasy: Final Fantasy Poll

Chris, Moderator
Beyond Reality

I think this was at least my third time through this book. But there are a lot of big ideas here, and a lot to think about.

The beginning is shocking. Even more shocking, this isn't speculative, this is historical (and fairly recent history). But it takes this inhumane incident to comprehend why someone would betray humanity and welcome an alien takeover.

The motives behind the different groups are fascinating. The group that believes that any civilization with advanced technology must be morally enlightened must be ignoring the precedents of technological advances on earth. Of course, they're not considering that the alien culture may have even larger problems that they are unable to solve without conquering new worlds.

Using a game to teach about the alien civilization and recruit believers is novel. The image of the computer made of men is one that sticks with me. I was lucky enough to visit China some time ago, and it always struck me how that culture often used manpower to solve problems that we in the western world would be more likely to solve with technology.

For me, this is a great read (even as a re-read). Lots of big ideas, lots of points of view that make me think.

Semajitation wrote: "Mea culpa too about Nothing But Blackened Teeth. I should also have caught the release date before nominating. I guess my next nomination should be Nothing But Egg On Face :)"

No worries! You can always nominate it again once it's been published!

My sincere apologies to all. I thought I had reviewed the availability of every suggested book, but I found out today that Nothing But Blackened Teeth will not be published until October. It is not eligible for the September BOM, and will be removed from the poll. If you voted for this book, please re-vote.

Preliminary polls are up for our September BOTMs, and will be open through Wednesday June 23. It'll be hard to choose just one. But .... let's vote!

Science Fiction: Preliminary SF Poll

Fantasy: Preliminary Fantasy Poll

Chris, Moderator
Beyond Reality

Shel wrote: "I read this one when the group read it a few years back (2016, I think) and really loved it. I do plan on re-reading it for the discussion...but probably not until school is out. ONE MORE WEEK!"

Hang in there Shel! Summer is coming!