Chris’s
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(group member since Feb 25, 2011)
Chris’s
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from the Beyond Reality group.
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Realm of the Elderlings--The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince: finished reading (spoilers!)
(12 new)
Nov 17, 2019 02:46PM
Same for me, Shel! This was a one-sitting book. Understanding why the perception of the Witted changed over time enriches the other stories. I also enjoyed understanding how the royal family is bonded to their names. Now, on to the final trilogy!
A lovely fairy tale of a book. McKillip's style is lyrical and evocative, although perhaps a bit obtuse in places. I did not always feel that I understood the center of the story … is it about Laurel? About Rois? About their mother? About a historical curse? Or perhaps a bit of all of these, tangled into the winter wood and a portal between two worlds. Beautiful and poetic.
This is a worthy sequel to Children of Time although it might also stand on its own. Tchaikovsky brings to life not one but two richly imagined sentient, plausible non-human civilizations. Each has distinct advantages and distinct ways of communicating, and (at least with the octopodes) diverse motivations and desires. And is there anything more chilling than "We are going on an adventure …."?
A great read.
Welcome to November! There's a nip in the air as we enter the holiday season, perfect for a cozy evening with a good book.Books of the Month - For November, you selected:
--November 2019 Science Fiction: Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
--November 2019 Fantasy: Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip
There are a couple of starter topics up for each book, but please feel free to start more.
We also have our schedule set for the next couple of months:
--December 2019 Science Fiction: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
--December 2019 Fantasy: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
--January 2019 Science Fiction: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
--January 2019 Fantasy: Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker
Series news - We have just finished the third story arc of the Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb. In November we'll read the prequel The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince before going on to the final trilogy in the series. It is never too late to chime in our our discussion threads! If you would like to get involved, visit our Realm of the Elderlings discussion folder.
Lastly - Don't forget to drop by the What are you reading in October 2019? thread to share your picks, pans, and progress for the month!
Happy Reading!
Chris, for the mods
Nov 01, 2019 08:27AM
The science in this book is meticulously imagined and well researched. It was a bit daunting to try to absorb it all. The descriptions of the Martian landscape were sweeping, although I admit that the constant parade of places just washed over me at some point. But the book went beyond the Martian scientific speculation to imagine the effects of this planet on the colonists, and on those remaining on Earth. There is a wide spectrum of responses to Mars, from Anne who sees it as a giant nature reserve that should remain unchanged, Sax who sees all change in terms of terraforming, Arkady who wants to create a new society, and Phyllis who sees Mars as a pool of resources to be exploited by Earth corporations. But there are so many positions in between; the Arabs who see Mars as a chance to continue a nomadic way of life, temporary workers just trying to earn hazard pay before returning to Earth, I could go on an on. An ambitious work to try to imagine all aspects of settling our nearest neighboring planet.
Jim wrote: "Chris wrote: "I just finished A Night in the Lonesome October. Thank you, thank you to all of those who recommended this book. Absolutely perfect for October reading!"Did you go thro..."
I did not … I meant to, but I just couldn't stop reading the story. I may go back and check the original posts, though.
I just finished A Night in the Lonesome October. Thank you, thank you to all of those who recommended this book. Absolutely perfect for October reading!
I'll nominate Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City for fantasy. The narrator is a very likeable colonel of an engineering corps that finds himself reluctantly in charge of a besieged city. A really enjoyable book with some bigger themes of duty and loyalty and human nature.
Okay, okay, I’ve now heard enough people mention A Night in Lonesome October that I had to acquire a copy. And I found it for $1.99 on iBooks! Starting tonight.
Ken, I think that’s the perfect fall-related reading anecdote!
Gabi wrote: "Chris wrote: "I had high hopes for this; I’ve enjoyed many other books by Seanan McGuire and her alter ego Mira Grant. But I was disappointed. There were some high points; the sirens were interesti..."As Seanan McGuire, I am very fond of her action-forward October Daye urban fantasy series (think Dresden files but San Francisco). Her Wayward Children series is lyrical and unusual.
As Mira Grant, the Feed series gave me zombie lit that I actually enjoyed. The zombies are a fact of life, but the series is really more of a political thriller with journalists as the main characters.
So don't be afraid to try another series!
I'm reading Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City. The main character is a scrappy and creative engineer who finds himself organizing the defenses of a city under siege. I'm really enjoying it, and I may recommend it for a future group read.
