Tony’s Comments (group member since Dec 19, 2018)

Tony’s comments from the Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy group.

I went in on the Kickstarter for Space: 1975: Space Opera Stories, 1970s Style, although I haven't read it yet. I am likely to back this.

I've just watched the first episode of Resident Alien, and I thought it was pretty good. Nice to see Alan Tudyk in a role that should give him plenty of opportunity to show his talent.

I finished 2066 And All That - it was a disappointment. I have started the Doctor Who parody - Doctor Whom: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Parodication

I finished 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England. It is as witty as I remember, but there is a level of casual racism which is not unexpected from a book written in 1930. I suspect a lot of the humour may be lost on readers who don't have a reasonable knowledge of English history.

I am now starting the sequel (although from a different author) 2066 And All That. This begins where 1066 finished - the end of World War I.

It's a difficult balancing act. As a huge SF fan, I am in favour of anything that advances man's steps towards being out there, but as an environmentalist, I realise that each rocket launch does some environmental damage - and that the money spent could be used for solving problems closer to home.

The good thing is that so much of the hardware and technology used by Space X and Virgin Space is reusable, so it is less of a drain on the environment. While a rocket launch does put a lot of crap in the atmosphere, overall the amount of damage done by rocket launches is very small compared to the damage done by cars around the world.

Also, I am concerned that if we delayed space exploration until such time as an environmentally acceptable solution is found - such as manipulation of the magnetic field - humans would lose the desire to go "out there".

Andrea wrote: "Next on my list is a Goodreads Giveaway win, but it's mystery, not SFF, My mom grabbed it the moment it arrived since she's a big cozy mystery fan and she finished it in a couple days :)"

I would certainly consider cozy mysteries to be part of the SFF genre - they are a specific type of urban fantasy.

I read another couple of stories in the anthology Rogues, which I am continuing to enjoy. I have now started a reread of the very funny, but definitely not SFF, 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England.

I finished Star Trek: Tests of Courage. It was ok, nothing exceptional but of interest as it details Sulu's first mission as captain of the Excelsior.

I have started reading another Star Trek graphic novel - Star Trek: Tests of Courage

I read Star Trek: Debt of Honor: Graphic Novel. Claremont overwrites, as he tends to, but he gets Star Trek, and he does a good job of tying in events from the series and movies. The art is also very good.

I finished Alien Space Tentacle Porn. It was good, but not really humorous, at least not to me. There was a certain amount of absurdity to it, but mostly it was a cutting look at how governments are likely to behave if they actually discover aliens are here.

I read a couple more stories in the anthology Rogues. I have now read 14 of the 21 stories. Unlike many anthologies, I haven't found any weak entries so far.

I am about to begin the interestingly named Alien Space Tentacle Porn, which will fill the humour slot in my Bingo.

I know it's still June for most of you, but it's July for me, so I'll start this off.

I finished What the Dead Said. I quite enjoyed it and would give it 4.5 stars. It will count as my genre blender for the Bingo - it is a police investigation set in 2021 Sydney (although written in 2012), except that a couple of years ago ghosts started appearing to almost everyone. It's only in the latter part of the book that the urban fantasy element becomes the dominant storyline.

Barbara wrote: "I've gone on to season 2 of "Manifest" with mixed feelings.

The premise is that a plane took off from Jamaica, experienced bad turbulence, and landed in NY. For the passengers a few hours had pass..."

I watched the first 7 or 8 episodes but I found it wasn't really holding my interest. Your comment indicates that watching more episodes may not change that :)

Now that the Amazon Prime series has finished, I felt it was ok to go back and read the 3rd 4-issue compilation of Invincible Vol. 3: Perfect Strangers. The order of events is different from the TV series, but season one covers up to the end of this book - the first 12 issues (more or less). It continues to be an excellent, and somewhat dark, take on superheroes. Recommended for fans of The Boys (either the comics or the TV show).

I am now starting What the Dead Said. Written by an Aussie author and set in Sydney in 2021, it seems now is the right time to read it :)

I finished Broomsticks and Burials. An enjoyable cozy mystery that also fills the purple cover slot in my Bingo.

Thanks all

I started reading Broomsticks and Burials a couple of days ago. I enjoy cozy mysteries, and they are generally an easy read, but I started this one primarily because it has a purple cover for the Bingo slot :)

I haven't been a mod in a GR group, although I have been a mod in a few FB groups, and I am a GR librarian (if that matters). Like Jim, I am prepared to be a backup mod if no one else steps up.