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

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

I finished another story in The Science Fiction Anthology, this one Sentry of the Sky by Evelyn E Smith. An interesting and somewhat unpredictable story.

I have finished Dracula Unbound. This is Aldiss reimagining, rather than retelling, Stoker's Dracula - it's a big change to go from a gothic novel to a science fiction novel. Pretty good, but the ending was a bot convoluted - as can happen with stories involving time travel. It also fills the Vampire slot in my Bingo.

I found the foreword and introduction parts of Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons to be pretty dry, but once the essays on the history and development of D&D start, it gets a lot more interesting, although there hasn't been much that is new to me.

I'm quite enjoying Dracula Unbound, which is essentially a retelling of Stoker's novel with a science fiction background, I'm about 2/3 of the way through.

And I've read a couple more stories in The Science Fiction Anthology - The Girls from Earth by Frank Robinson, and Songs in a minor key by C.L. Moore. The former is very much a product of the 1950s, and hasn't aged well, the latter is a very short (2 pages) addition to the Northwest Smith canon. The last story written about this iconic character, I believe.

I finished another short story in The Science Fiction Anthology. This one was The Sentimentalists by Murray Leinster from the early 1950s. It was a light-hearted tale about honeymooning aliens anonymously helping humans, flipping the stereotype of bug-eyed monsters out to steal our women. Definitely worth a read.

Having just applied a progress update to the three books I have most recently started, they are now the three books which appear on my home page. The rest appear on my home page when I click on "Show more". So Goodreads has changed the order to most recently updated rather than most recently started - I have no idea why they have done this, or even if it was a deliberate change.

Robert wrote: "You’re not likely to hear much new material from him these days on account of him being deceased…but, on the other hand, he left his affairs in such a legal limbo that there very well may be unreleased material that finally comes out in the years come."

That, and the things they can do with technology these days. Natalie Cole released a single with her long-dead father Nat, which was done by digitising some of his songs and blending them into the new recording. And that was 24 years ago.

Andrea wrote: "You're blazing your way through the BINGO it seems :)"

Yeah, I have realised that my reading tine has decreased over recent years - partially due to work taking more time, but also because there are a lot more available distractions than back in the 70s and 80s. Thanks internet 😝 So I now try and concentrate on Bingo reads early on, otherwise I will run out of time to get it finished.

It's only my guess that it's progress based. It used to be the most recent book record I had updated on Goodreads used to be at the top, but the three I marked as Reading just recently aren't the three that appear on my home page. The ones on my home page are the lost recent of books that I have updated progress on - I expect that if I apply a progress update to the three I have most recently started, they will be highlighted on my home page. I guess the way to find out for sure is to try it and see 😊

I finished the first story in The Science Fiction Anthology - The Death Traps of FX-31 by Sewell Wright. Well, it's not the first story, just the first I chose to read. Anyway, it's a fun story from the 1930s, likely first published in Amazing or Astounding or a similar pulp magazine. Brave Terran spacemen armed with atomic pistols and atomic grenades take on intelligent giant spiders on planet FX-31. A fine example of the atompunk genre.

Either way, it's irritating, and I haven't found a way to change it back.

But maybe I'm just being an old man yelling at the clouds 😝

Has Goodreads made another change? The currently reading section of my homepage is displaying the books I am currently reading with the most progress, rather than the most recently started books. Although my currently reading shelf is still sorted in most recent order.

I have finished Under an Azure Sky. On the whole, I enjoyed it, although I found the ending a little unsatisfying. It fills the LGBTQ slot in my Bingo.

I picked up a large collection of short stories and novellas - The Science Fiction Anthology. It has about 90 stories in it, and should be good for dipping into for a short read.

I have also started Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons, which I was given for Christmas, and will fill the non-fiction Bingo slot, and Dracula Unbound, which will fill the vampire slot in my Bingo.

I finished The Desert Air War

Hi Dean, there are still book discussions in this group, although they often spring up in unrelated chats. However, if you wanted to start a discussion on any particular book, I'm sure you would find other members who are willing to join in.

I actually enjoy King's work, particularly his earlier novels. At that time he wasn't so famous and it seems editors had some more control over what the final draft was than they do now 😆 It seems to me that since he became a star, his writing is less tight than it was, and I'm not convinced that's such a good thing - although his creativity is undiminished.

Work has been eating into my reading time this month. I am about 3/4 of the way through the 2 books I am currently reading - Under an Azure Sky and The Desert Air War. I'm enjoying both.

Audrey wrote: "UFO: The Inside Story of the U.S. Government's Search for Alien Life Here―and Out There
"

I think I have that in my TBR bookcase. If not that exact title, certainly something in a similar vein.

Robin wrote: "He reminds me somewhat of those old school writers who cut their teeth in the magazine age writing short punchy stories to strict word counts and carried on writing that way even in long form."

A skill Stephen King never mastered 😝

I finished reading The Unquiet Grave. At this stage, I think it will fill the Title begins with a U Bingo slot, although it could fill a couple of other slots and may get swapped around later in the year.

Next up will be Under an Azure Sky, which (according to the blurb) features a sapphic relationship, so it could fill the Features an LGBTQ character Bingo slot.

I have also started reading The Desert Air War

I have started The Unquiet Grave. This book could fill a number of Bingo slots - title starts with a U, features a vampire, or dark SF/F - the opening chapter is pretty disturbing, and is likely to set the tone for the book (if not for the series).