Tassie Dave’s Comments (group member since Mar 27, 2011)

Tassie Dave’s comments from the The Sword and Laser group.

Trike wrote: "and how *I* categorize books doesn’t always align with the group — all of which to say I’ve lost track of where we are vis a vis Swords and Lasers."

I am still trying to work out how you categorised Mexican Gothic as Laser. I have about 2 hours to go and will almost certainly put it on my "Sword" shelf. It is definitely speculative fiction.

We are due a Fantasy book in February.

BTW Mexican Gothic is not the happier/lighter book you're looking for 😉, but it is good.

TRP wrote: "Just finished Survivorsby Terry Nation (the creator of the Daleks and Blake's Seven)
To a certain extent it's a novelization of the 70s TV series of the same name.
I..."

They made Survivors back in 2008. I was enjoying it. The newer series was directly based on the book. More so than the 70's TV adaption. It only went for 2 seasons (12 episodes)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivo...

I loved the original back in its original run. I rewatched it after the new series ended. But it hadn't aged well.

Trike wrote: "Darker: Mexican Gothic"

I'm reading this one now and enjoying it.

But at over 50% completed, I am struggling to see why you put this on your Laser shelf 😕

I guess the Lasery part comes later in the book 😉

My top 5 in order were:

1) Parable of the Sower
2) The Ten Thousand Doors of January
3) A Memory Called Empire
4) Magician: Apprentice
5) Howl's Moving Castle

Murderbot wasn't a Sword and Laser pick.

The poll is only for the 12 Monthly official picks for the S&L Book club in 2020.

That is also why Finding Baba Yaga: A Short Novel in Verse is not on the list. It was an alt. pick

What was your favourite book of the 2020 Sword and Laser picks?

Vote on Poll

Jan- In the Company of Others by Julie E. Czerneda
Feb- Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Mar- The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Apr- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
May- Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist
Jun- A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
Jul- Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Aug- Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett
Sep- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Oct- Finder by Suzanne Palmer
Nov- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Dec- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Rob wrote: "I think in 2019 we did a goodreads poll for favorite read of year. I don't recall doing anything for least favorite though. I could set up a poll for that if people are interested. I think Dave was maybe the one who did it last year."

I did start a thread last year and you (Rob) added a poll to it.
I meant to start one at the end of 2020, but forgot 😉

The Calculating Stars was easily the favourite book of the group for 2019

I'm not a fan of voting for least favourite. I like to talk about the books we enjoyed.

I will start a thread for the 2020 book.

I had to Google Middle Grade to find out what years you mean.

If I have it right, you mean Grades 5 to 8 (Which is late Primary School- 5&6 to early High School- 7&8 here)

I was definitely reading Asimov, Bradbury, Verne and the classics of the genre by that age. I didn't go near the kids section after about Grade 4. But I was a weird kid ;-)

Jules Verne is a good starting level Sci-Fi and also H.G.Wells

I would also recommend short story collections. I discovered many of my favourite classic sci-fi authors through their short stories.

Trike wrote: "Looking forward to “decrepit”. What’s it like, old timer? 😎"

Like an old wine I'm matured 😉

I'm not worried about getting old.
I've still got 516 days 9 hours and 37 minutes before I turn 60

No, not worried at all 😟

Jerimy wrote: "Thank's Trike. I'm practically a classic myself."

Trike has passed the Classic and Vintage stage. He's now an antique 😜

Rob wrote: "I also signed up for HBO Max (well used my free month trial from AT&T). So far I've started Harley Quinn and Doom Patrol. "

Harley Quinn is great.

I gave up Doom Patrol early on in Season 2. It's ok, but I didn't find it was worth persisting with.

Iain wrote: "Other than Melbourne where the dreaded residents of the harbour city have reinfected the city leading to a minor panic (3 cases =.minor panic)."

I'm ok with our state governments overreacting and enforcing restrictions and border closures based on very low active cases.

Sydney is starting to get out of control and most states are closing their borders to NSW tonight.

Hopefully 2021 is a better year for the world.

How many buttloads to a shitload? 😉

My favourites of this year. Most are 4 stars.

I'll cheat by listing 2 books at number 2. I read the series back to back.


The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
Network Effect by Martha Wells
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

I didn't realise that my list had no male authors until I'd finished it. 4 female authors and 1 non-binary author.

Mark wrote: "my brain hurts when I see a recipe measured in grams ;-)"

Yeah use something easier like pennyweight, bushel or furlong 😉

You can get apps that will automatically change measures from useful units 😁 to those archaic ones that you like 😜

Paprika is one, but there are many out there
https://www.paprikaapp.com/

Trike wrote: "I forgot Pedro Pascal was in it. Between this and Mandalorian, I’ve seen quite a lot of him this week."

You didn't see much of him in The Mandalorian 😉

We can only be sure he was, physically, in 2 scenes for the whole 2 seasons.

No HBO in Australia.

The only way to see it is at the movie theatres starting today.

Too bad the closest one is a 2 hour drive away

The Book of Boba Fett series is separate from The Mandalorian. They are both to be on next December.

I'm expecting an animated series for Grogu and his new master.

Brian Brushwood made a good point on the show he does with Tom about Grogu's new master.
(view spoiler)[Why should we expect Luke to do a good job training Grogu. He also at some stage in the future trains Kylo Ren. Look how that turned out. He's also the son of a Sith Lord.

Grogu is destined for the Dark Side ;-) (hide spoiler)]

Trike wrote: "Is Dr. Pershing the first SW character to wear glasses?"

Do Goggles count? Maz Kanata in The Force Awakens seems to wear them to see better.

https://www.starwars.com/databank/maz...

We haven’t read John Scalzi’s Lock In for Sword and Laser.

We read Old Man's War as an Official pick

And Redshirts and Fuzzy Nation as alternate picks

We didn't read The Road for S&L.

We have had a few other dystopian reads.