Books of the Month August 2015 - Red Mars and A Darker Shade of Magic

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

The winners of August 2015's BoTM are:
- FANTASY: A Darker Shade of Magic
- SCI-FI: Red Mars

Book discussion may start at ANY point during the month. There will also be 'overall' discussion threads as more members finish the books - anyone can create these!

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

Fantastic! I'll have to hunt these down, both on my to read list :)

Thanks for posting for me Rinn :)

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

I would say borrow my copy of A Darker Shade, but not sure when we will next be meeting up! Taking Red Mars to my new flat though :D

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

I have been meaning to start Red Mars forever. I've had the book and like other books by the author so not sure why I haven't.

A very good reason for joining groups and group reads, I guess.

[Susie]

I've actually never heard of either of these, which is fun! I'll have to check in at the library.

Are there authors that any of you fellow readers would compare either of these to, as far as story or style?

[Andrew]

A Darker Shade of Magic was a lot of fun!

Not sure what author I would compare to. The atypical setting makes a nice break from standard epic fantasies.

The atmosphere reminded me of YA-fantasy for adults, if that makes sense. Not getting bogged down by the minutia of politics and intrigue, and a more personal adventure without worrying about armies and the like. But at the same time, it's a richly imagined world that doesn't beg many unanswered questions.

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Yes, although Schwab tends to be a YA writer, don't let that label put you off if you're not a YA fan. Her writing is gorgeous - although I can't think of who to compare her to, will have more of a think!

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I bought the book a while ago so looking forward to reading it. Two books to finish in the mean time but should be all set for start of the month.

[Meera]

I really liked Vicious so I'm going to pick up A Darker Shade of Magic.

[Mark]

A Darker Shade.... is available on Kindle for £2.99 & play books for £2.39 at the moment!!

[Mark]

can't wait to start these!!

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

Thank you for sharing Mark! That's really useful to know :)

[Susie]

Thanks for the input, everyone! Unfortunately, no Kindle sale in the USA, but I'll track it down. xP

[Andrew]

Hearing about the sale made me curious, and oddly Schwab's Vicious is only $2.99 on Kindle stateside. I know a lot of people already read it here, but I had been waiting for a nice price drop like this lol Might be useful info for others.

[Trevor]

Ordered A Darker Shade of Magic for £2.39 on kindle and Red Mars is good in paperback at 1p plus postage but I'll check the shop I volunteer in before I order it.
Looking forward to the discussion :)

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

The two seem to be available very cheaply for next month. Hopefully we'll get high participation because of that.

[Andreas]

I read Red Mars in 2013, it was a clear 5 star novel for me. It is the first part of his Mars trilogy, but there is zero cliffhanger - meaning: You can read it as a standalone.

My review contains spoilers - just read the first two parts to get the feeling of this awesome Hard SF novel.

As a sidenote I've just started reading KSR's Aurora - a multigeneration starship's computer writes a narrative of the journey to Tau Ceti. Feels already great, might be his best book.

[Whitney]

is mars considered space opera? wondering if I can also use it for a challenge.

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

I'm looking forward to A Darker Shade of Magic - I have got it on Kindle, ready to go! Should be able to participate in the discussion for first time in ages!