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

Chris’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

I noticed that Exhalation by Ted Chiang, one of our July books, is on sale today on Amazon and Apple Books.

Today is Mother's Day in the USA. What fictional mothers do you find particularly memorable?

I just finished The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis. What fun!

I re-read this trilogy a couple of months back; I wanted a refresher before reading the latest bookThe Fragile Threads of Power (the start of a new trilogy in the same world). But because I don't remember exactly where each book left off, I'm not going to leave any specific comments here. I really enjoy this series - interesting characters, and the three Londons are a great setting. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do!

This is very much a product of its time. Written in 1950, this story focuses on an all-male crew in an extremely hierarchical authority structure exploring the universe. While the story is heavily dated, you can see a number of themes that become key in many later stories, including warhorses such as Star Trek.

Examples of some of these themes:
* Tensions between scientists and warriors
* Exploring strange new worlds
* Carnage among minor characters
* Bureaucracy is still a strong force in the future
* The solution to various dilemmas is often held by someone not highly placed in the hierarchy

How do you feel about books with ambiguous endings?

It’s May, and time to let us know what you’re reading this month. Tell us about your reads - all genres welcome here!

I seem genetically predisposed to tear up when I get emotional -- any emotion. But I think the last really memorable cry I had with a book was when Nighteyes died (the Robin Hobb Realm of the Elderlings series).

What was the last book that made you cry? Were they happy or sad tears?

I enjoyed this. Each type of kinden had their own strengths and weaknesses, each kinden had their own guiding principles (empire! commerce! combat! magic!). But, with a few exceptions, the individuals were not entirely bound within the constraints of their own kinden, so we could see them grow. I have to admit, the limitations of the non-apt are hard to accept ... really, you can't figure out how to open a door? But I enjoyed getting acquainted with this world, and I look forward to reading the next book.

Recommend a favorite book to the rest of us! What do you love about it?

What are your favorite post-apocalyptic books? What is their appeal?

I'll throw a couple into the mix this month.
For SF: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh is a Hugo nominee this year. I haven't read it, but I've heard some good recommendations.

For Fantasy: Perilous Times looks like a more modern spinoff of Arthurian fantasy with some dark humor.

I was thinking of Sheri S Tepper, who writes a variety of fantasy and science fiction, in trilogies and in stand alone novels. i particularly liked Grass

I am so looking forward to trying some of these!

Who are some of your favorite authors who vary their stories more than average from one book/series to the next?

Oh, my, what a ride! Alderman doesn't pull any punches here. Big tech is pervasive and getting bigger all the time. It has the money and power to do great things, but how to convince the founders of these corporations to look beyond their own self interest? Before we can make any progress, catastropic events cause the billionaires to scurry to their bunkers. An unexpected plane crash leaves our key tech founders in the wilderness, scrabbling to survive.

Like Alderman's The Power which we read previously, she takes the darker path. Adversity which could lead to altruism and cooperation instead breeds suspicion and competition.

I liked this book for the depictions of near-future technology, for the twistiness of the plot, and for the psychological studies of our protagonists.

I also appreciated the sense of place that Blackgoose brought to the story. I haven't been to that part of the country, but I also could recognize the real places underneath the fiction. I appreciated what I also have to assume is an authentic portrayal of indigenous culture but, even better, a portrayal of an indigenous worldview. Anequs goes to school because she recognizes that she and her untrained dragon will be a danger to the community. But she doesn't buy in to the ideas prevalent there that the dragon is meant to be subjugated -- she sees it as a partnership, or even more as her service to the dragon.

I also agree that it was a bit jarring to have new names for everything. I got the impression that the alternate history is that the Vikings were the predominant settlers in the region, so the language would have to reflect those Norse roots.

I also liked this story quite a bit, and will be looking to continue.

I'm not fooling -- it's April, and time to let us know what you’re reading this month. Tell us about your reads - all genres welcome here!

Do you listen to any SF/F podcasts? What are your favorites?