You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Monthly
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May 2013 Challenge - Don't Forget Your Towel
Marnie wrote: "Well then - back to the drawing board because I've read some dystopian books."Check Cherie's shelves, Marnie. We have a lot of books in commun but our ratings are not the same.
Ann wrote: "I generally don't read any SF at all so I am going with time travel and have chosen 
. Would this be okay?"Hey, Ann, this one looks good. Did you see that is # 2 of maybe a series, not that it really matters. I see that Tejas Janet has read it. She gave it lots of stars.
Rusalka, if it helps, Year Zero is compared to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThanks Cherie; I will check those titles out.
Rusalka wrote: "Marnie wrote: "Well then - back to the drawing board because I've read some dystopian books."I've also hear Asimov referred to as Hard Scifi. I mean, robots written in the 50s. Classic stuff. He'..."
I agree. I consider him pretty much Hard Scifi. The Caves of Steel is a great story about a kind of dystopyan futue where they create this positronic brain. He has several books that have this same theme linking robot brains with humans.
There is no magic in Asimov's worlds - it is all technology driven. IMO.
Then I will stick with The Caves of Steel. Thank you Sci Fi experts for helping me figure this out.
Cherie wrote: "I am with you there Esther! I have been readin SF for more than 50 years. Between 7th and 8th grade I read EVERY SF book in our Middle School Library and I have never"I was in an girls only private school so I had the SF shelves pretty much to myself. :)
I took me a while to find a genre I had not explored to much.
Cherie wrote: "Ann wrote: "I generally don't read any SF at all so I am going with time travel and have chosen . Would this be okay?"Hey, Ann, this one looks good. D..."
The 1st is Doomsday Book. Both have a different tone. It's been years but I remember to To Say Nothing of the Dog as a really fun read. And I just discovered there are new ones... Yippee!
Esther - Looks like I may have to jump into Steampunk. I am with you here as being something I have not looked into too much.You wanta close your eyes and pick one from this genere for me to read too? The titles make me cringe, but I love Rusalka's badges.
Cherie wrote: "Esther - Looks like I may have to jump into Steampunk. I am with you here as being something I have not looked into too much.You wanta close your eyes and pick one from this genere for me to rea..."
You noticed the titles too, huh? :) i was glad to find Miéville in there, one I was going to read eventually. I am clueless in that genre.
Esther wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Esther - Looks like I may have to jump into Steampunk. I am with you here as being something I have not looked into too much.You wanta close your eyes and pick one from this gener..."
Okay, I found one of his others that fits. I guess I will give Un Lun Dun a try for Steampunk.
RE: Steampunk. China Mieville is supposed to be fantastic to read so he's a good one. The other people I have heard good things about is Cherie Priest with Boneshaker. Same with Leviathan. I loved The Windup Girl, and I believe Paolo Bacigalupi has more books in the same vein. And if you don't mind more steam and less punk and a sprinkling of fantasy, Soulless is fun but right on the precipice of falling into fantasy proper. That's where I think you guys came in. Romance books with either fantasy elements and/or dirigibles.
Esther wrote: "(Wow. Something ate the post I just wrote....) So after a bit of research, I found a genre : steampunk. I am thinking of Perdido Street Station that seems to fit the genre.
Miéville have been on ..."
I've read that as well. IIRC it's a but hefty and I thought it very good, but can;t say it's a place I'd want to visit.
Miéville have been on ..."
I've read that as well. IIRC it's a but hefty and I thought it very good, but can;t say it's a place I'd want to visit.
Definitely new ground for me -- I had to wiki "steampump" to even figure out what we are talking about!I rarely read sci-fi, and when I do I guess you'd call it dystopia? 1984, Brave New World, Oryx and Crake, A Clockwork Orange are about the extent of my SF exposure.
I'd really like to read Solaris for this challenge. I think the genre is space travel perhaps? What do you all think -- is it far enough out of my comfort zone?
Oh yes Michelle. I'm like you. So I'm tossing up Solaris and Midnight Robber. Both are very Space Opera.Edit: Solaris could be considered hard scifi too I'm sure.
Rusalka wrote: "Lynne & Cathie - There is always some cross over with Fantasy and Scifi. So don't stress, pick a book that you think fits and we can chat about it. That's why I wanted you guys to say what you wanted to read before you started. My personal rule is magic = fantasy. "Thanks Rusalka :)
I <3 Firely too!
Rusalka wrote: "Heh you don't have to bribe me when it comes to Firefly. You're talking to the girl who wants to name her daughter if she has one, Inara.Lynn wrote: "I <3 Firely too! ..."
I'm very fond of the series and movie. I actually rotate it through my Netflix queue constantly. Watch it, put it at the bottom of the list of movies and then let it rise naturally to the top for another viewing.
Nathan Fillion never hurts my eyes!
The series is superior to the movie. Joss before he got taken over by the big corps imho. I have a big Joss Whedon fangirl crush. Followed closely by a Captain Sexypants one.
Looks like a dystopia. So yup if you haven't read dystopian fiction before.
Michelle wrote: "Definitely new ground for me -- I had to wiki "steampump" to even figure out what we are talking about!I rarely read sci-fi, and when I do I guess you'd call it dystopia? 1984, Brave New World,..."
Hi Michelle. I had to look up steampump too! It is pretty out of my comfort zone, but about the only place I had to go for this challenge. I have not read the book you have chosen, but I marked it TBR. I think it sounds like a pretty interesting story! That guy on the cover looks like George Clooney, can't beat that either!
Almeta wrote: "Lynne and Cathie ~ I found with the proper cookie/biscuit bribe that the moderators can be convinced of anyhting within reason. You might try that.☺"There are no blueberries in those cookies! Aren't you glad that you don't have to bribe me? Well, this time, anyway!
Rusalka wrote: "Looks like a dystopia. So yup if you haven't read dystopian fiction before."I've read the first book in the 4 part series so it won't count :(
I could go with Social/Soft SciFi -
Fahrenheit 451 as never read soft scifi before.
or superhuman - The Angel Experiment
Loving looking up and looking into what to read :)
Hmm interesting, I love sci-fi films and series on TV, but looking through my previous reading, the only books I've read in that genre are 1984 and Brave New WorldSo I think I'll join you.I'll read The Time Machinefor time travel sub genre.
OK, decision made. Based solely on what was in the library I am going to read:
Foundation by Isaac Asimov, which I surmise is hard SciFi or Space opera.
and The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick which is alternative history.
Don't recall reading anything remotely like either of those before, so hopefully that passes the meanie test. I think my idea of what SciFi is might be rather narrow compared to the range that the genre actually encompasses.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov, which I surmise is hard SciFi or Space opera.
and The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick which is alternative history.
Don't recall reading anything remotely like either of those before, so hopefully that passes the meanie test. I think my idea of what SciFi is might be rather narrow compared to the range that the genre actually encompasses.
Hmm. This is tough. I seem to read a lot of 'time travel,' 'apocalyptic,' and 'dystopian' sci-fi novels and lots of sci-fi fantasy as well. I don't think that I have read 'steampunk' before and have Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea on my TBR so let's go with that.
Helen - Passed and passed on the meany test :P Foundation I think of as more of Hard Scifi, but I must say that's just Asimov's name. Others who have read him may have better ideas.Emily - sounds great! It's on my TBR too.
The Eyre AffairMy library has it and it's on a Goodreads list as Steampunk which I have never read before.. So I'm changing books.
Oooo that's a hard one. I would class it as alt history from reading it. Looking into it.Love it though.
Looking into it, some people class it as time travel, which could also fit. Steampunk though, besides it just having a mention of zeppelins though... I find it hard to buy. I'm off to bed, so any one else have any thoughts who has read it?
Marnie wrote: "The Eyre AffairMy library has it and it's on a Goodreads list as Steampunk which I have never read before.. So I'm changing books."
I would call it alternate history.
Almeta wrote: "Marnie wrote: "The Eyre AffairMy library has it and it's on a Goodreads list as Steampunk which I have never read before.. So I'm changing books."
I would call it alternate history."
Thanks Almeta, I was about to invoke your name :P
Almeta wrote: "Marnie wrote: "The Eyre AffairMy library has it and it's on a Goodreads list as Steampunk which I have never read before.. So I'm changing books."
I would call it alternate history."
It is a hard one. alternate history works for me. Unless there is a funny and weird genre. :)
I await your verdict....I have Flowers for Algernon as a back up which I think is soft science fiction and I have never read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy so I have some back ups.
I lied. I'm not in bed yet. Have you read alt history before Marnie? I couldn't find it above.
Time travel Marnie?Also, throwing this open to the group. I'm having a really hard time classifying The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which I really should have bloody thought about before making this thread.
Anyways, thoughts on a comic/social commentary subgenre? This could encompass The Eyre Affair and Year Zero which could fall into this genre? I am thinking as I FINALLY go to bed. Decisions tomorrow.
Flowers for Algernon- seems like a less iffy choice. So I will read both and report on Flowers. Researching Science Fiction has made me aware of sooo many more books I want to read!
So far I'm looking at either
(GR has it listed under Biopunk), or
for Space Opera. Will those work?
There's also
that I think could either be Steampunk or Space Western.
Rusalka wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Marnie wrote: "The Eyre AffairMy library has it and it's on a Goodreads list as Steampunk which I have never read before.. So I'm changing books."
I would call it alternate history."
Thanks Almeta, I was about to invoke your name :P ..."
When I think nof SteamPunk I envision Victorian people with computers run by steam. Great ruffled costumes (men and women), high-heeled boots, awesome technical gadgets, but no electricity. Airborn and Phoenix Rising are Steampunk.
Not all "Thursday Next's adventures are Alternate History, but this one is, in its own weird way.
SciFi Humor would be a better category overall. (for Hitchhiker’s Guide also). It is also fantasy, but not in that fairy way, more in the Doctor Who way.
I forgot about having read Douglas Adams.
I'm a person who says that I don’t read SciFi; I must be in denial!☻
It's kind of interesting how the genres overlap. For example 11/22/63 is alternative history which comes as a result of time travel. There is a significant amount of time travel.Another alternative history example is Guns of the South where men from South Africa time travel back to the Civil War with the intent to change the outcome of the Civil War.
I also have read "some" science-fiction but there are genres I left behind... I mostly read Hard SciFi and space opera, some social and time travel. I've never been interested by military scifi (and will not try to be for that challenge, sorry LOL) I tried cyberpunk but could never finish a book(tried to read Neuromancer, twice!). I have read Sturgeon's More Than Human, which eliminates the superhuman genre, and some other genetic-related novels, so the biopunk is probably also out. Distopian as well as any form of utopian novels have also been part of my reading past...So, here are a couple of genres that are left: steampunk or dieselpunk as well as alternate history.
I will look up during the weekend to determine whether I can put my hand on a book:
Is Flowers for Algernon considered soft sci fi? On it's page it is just listed as classics and sci fiIt's another option that I like but the option of soft sci fi isn't open for me.
I believe this one will qualify as biopunk because part of the premise works with DNA. Human Instincts. Hope so, because I just ordered it for my Nook! lol
I have looked around and here are the possibilities:For steampunk:
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
Phoenix Rising
For alternate history
Darwinia
The Man in the High Castle
The Plot Against America
What do you think?
I've been researching my options. And there are few! LOL! From looking at my Sci-Fi shelf, most of my choices were Apocalyptic, Distopian, Alternate History/Time Travel and Steampunk.So, I'm thinking I may have to go with Cyberpunk (Cinder), or Military Sci-Fi (Starship Troopers). I shall ponder some more.
Oh my, I'm a big SF/F fan, so I'm not sure I can find a book that fits this task! (because of the requirement: read a subgenre of Science Fiction you have never read before)Here's the list:
Hard SciFi.......... Social/Soft SciFi.......... Cyberpunk.......... Time Travel.......... Alternate History..........Military SciFi.......... Steampunk.......... Superhuman.......... Apocalyptic.......... Space Opera.......... Biopunk.......... Space Western.......... Dystopian.......... Dieselpunk
The only one I've not read before is "dieselpunk" which, according to the wiki links, consists of graphic novels associated with video games.
I'm currently reading 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson, which is Hard SciFi, and a collection of novelettes smoothed into a novel Regenesis by Julia Ecklar (author: E) which is Biopunk or Hard SciFi (our heroine is a zoologist working for an organization called "Noah's Ark"). Both books are good reads, although 2312 will take extra patience to get into if you're a novice reader of Hard SciFi.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Time Machine (other topics)Cinder (other topics)
11/22/63 (other topics)
11/22/63 (other topics)
The Martian Chronicles (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Arthur C. Clarke (other topics)Isaac Asimov (other topics)
Isaac Asimov (other topics)
Ray Bradbury (other topics)
Robert A. Heinlein (other topics)
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I've also hear Asimov referred to as Hard Scifi. I mean, robots written in the 50s. Classic stuff. He's one of the guys I think of as hard scifi along with Arthur C Clarke and such. What you think Cherie (I've been waiting for you to pop in with your knowledge :P)