Science Fiction Aficionados discussion
New Series Read? Back to having a Random Read? Give us your thoughts!
How about an oldie, "The Complete Skylark" by E.E. "Doc Smith".The Complete Skylark
Consist of four books.
The Skylark of Space
Skylark Three
Skylark of Valeron
Skylark DuQuesne
I have not read these from 1928-1958, but want to :)
Mod
mark wrote: "would love to do Banks' Culture!"Now you're talking Mark. Not an easy light read. Not really a series in the strictest sense, but wow what an excuse to dive in and splash about in an absolutely riveting and absorbing universe.
Wouldn't want to be the one to decide the reading order or even which books to include, but count me in if you can get this one off the ground.
There are also a lot of novels that comes in three volumes. One could knock off four threes in a year. Like the new selection "Beggars in Spain" is like volume one of three books. David brin has books in three volumes. Many authors has volumes in threes.
How about creating our own "series" of sci fi works by different women authors - perhaps with a novel published in each two-year period from 2001 through 2014, i.e., 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2011-2012, 2013-2014? That would cover seven months. It would be random with restrictions!
Linda, I'm intrigued by your suggestion, but I don't think I really understand it. Are you saying seven different authors, seven unrelated books? If so I think we should also try to make them stand-alones or else incorporate Mickey's suggestion and include a few full trilogies. (Nothing bugs me more than just reading part 1 of a trilogy and then leaving the rest hanging for later, if the first is any good that is.)
Mod
Alexa wrote: "Linda, I'm intrigued by your suggestion, but I don't think I really understand it. Are you saying seven different authors, seven unrelated books? If so I think we should also try to make them sta..."My suggestion was a modification of the random read, so I gave no thought to whether that should preclude a series book that was published in the 2-year time frame. And I have no opinion on that topic other than to say some authors (thank goodness!) write books in a series that are still standalone reads!
Mod
Mod
The female authors idea sounds good but the twist is how we pick the books
I like the idea of some trilogies as well.
How far back should we go? I would love to go back to James White's Hospital Station. If we go modern, put me down for Jack McDevitt's Academy series. Or even the Revelation Space series by Alastair Reynolds.
A different thought - read all the Nebula award nominees? 8 of them this year...We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman
Fire with Fire, Charles E. Gannon
Hild, Nicola Griffith
Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
The Red: First Light, Linda Nagata
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar
The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker
I have read We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and absolutely loved it, but I'm at a loss as to how it qualifies for a Nebula; I saw absolutely no fantasy or science fiction in it at all. Ancillary Justice got kicked off the last list of suggestions because it is being read everywhere else (I also really enjoyed that one). Hild, A Stranger in Olondria, and The Golem and the Jinni are all fantasy.
I like Linda's idea of a different woman author each month too, only rather than limit the book by year written, I'd like to see nominations of books by women authors we have not read before. This does not have to be labor intensive, one where we run a poll each month. Instead, we can run just one poll once and make the winners the top six or seven vote-getters.Here is a suggested timeline:
1) Open the floor for nominations of science fiction (not fantasy) books by authors whom we have not read so far. Close the nominations after 25-30 books have been nominated. We can use the 10 or so left over from last month to give us a start. Then we need just 15 or so more nominations.
2) Hold a poll.
3) The top six vote getters, all books by different women authors we have not read, are the six books we read over the next six months.
The month's book selections can go by alphabetical order of author, or by title, or, my preference, worst to best, in other words by sixth place vote getter to be read in June through first place vote getter to be read in November.
There is only one further stipulation that I think needs be made, and that is what if we get two nominations by the same author? Well, it's not really fair to have an author compete against herself in the polls, is it? So only one book per author can be nominated. We can narrow the nomination down to one title by taking the nominated work of an author that has the most votes.
For example, let's say I nominate Sargasso of Space by Andre Norton. Then Alexa comes along and nominates Storm Over Warlock by Andre Norton. Whose nomination gets considered? Alexa's because she's better looking than me? She no doubt is, but I still say no! Instead, we can look the book up on Goodreads and see that Storm Over Warlock has been rated 460 times, Sargasso of Space 670 times. Sargasso wins! Or maybe we should use a rating. That might help ensure the better reads of an author's gets the nomination. Well, Sargasso wins again, but just barely: 3.78 to Storm Over Warlock's 3.76. Sorry, Alexa.
This proposal would get us six great new books by women authors the group has not officially read yet. Just think, perhaps Norton, Tiptree, Bradley, Cherryh, Slonczewski, Butler, Henderson, and some other great and deserving women authors will finally get consideration for our reading list for the next six months! Beggars in Spain would then be the first in a series of seven, I suppose.
Cheers,
Dan
A nominee that sort of fits either option, the Exordium series The_Phoenix_in_Flight by Sherwood Smith, Dave Trowbridge.A fun piece of space opera with interesting cultures and aliens.
Mod
I like either idea actually...hmmmm
Mod
I like the idea of the Nebula books...
I definitely favor the Women Authors option (if that was used with a trilogies option that would be OK with me too). I like Dan's proposal a lot - one question, since we would be voting for six months at once, would each person be allowed more than one nomination? This seems like a situation where the more nominees the better.
Mod
I vote for women authors. One of the reason the nebulas came to mind were the high percentage (6 out of 8?) new (to me) woman authors [aside - I will not be rereading Gaiman's Ocean - it was 'okay']. I think finding a thread connecting a group of distinct authors will be tricky.heh, give it till apr 19th and we can read the hugo nominees! http://www.thehugoawards.org/
(looked in wikipedia: nebulas are 'best published in US' - hugos are just the 'best -))
We have some great proposals here. Besides the women authors, I like the idea of reading the Culture series (I have unread copies of Consider Phlebas and Transition sitting on my shelf) and the idea of doing nebula or hugo nominees or award winners.
How about this (consolidated from above): Woman Author of the Month. Start off by selecting 6 authors by vote, then each month (June-Nov), read 2-3 books by that author, either individually or as a group read by vote. Author must have at least 6 books in more than one series.
Still leaves room for a random poll of a book to read.
Why woman authors, what do we have against men?Was it not the last series by a woman... Lois McMaster Bujold.
Woman also write trilogies, all listed below I have already read:
"Sleepless" series by Nancy Kress my opinion Excellent.
"Freedom" Series by Anne McCaffrey my opinion it is ok.
Two really excellent ones by Julie Czerneda:
"Species Imparative" and "Stratification" trilogies.
Those four trilogies alone will take a year. However I already read them :)
But I admit, I have only read the first "culture" book and I am not against it.
However, I do have a major gap in which I have read nothing by C.J. Cherryh
However, I do have a major gap in which I have read nothing by C. J. Cherryh. Mickey, the first step to a cure is acknowledging the issue.
Regarding gender bias, I think there it's more about phases - if you ask most SciFi readers what the "best" books are, they'll start listing Asimov, Heinlein, etc - all DWGs (dead white guys). Check our own group list of authors. If you look more recently, the ladies have matched or exceeded the quality and quantity of books written.
I'd also be in favor of focusing on books written more recently without regard to the gender of the author.
Laz wrote: "However, I do have a major gap in which I have read nothing by C. J. Cherryh. Mickey, the first step to a cure is acknowledging the issue."
Always looking to improve myself :)
"I'd also be in favor of focusing on books written more recently without regard to the gender of the author."
Like the "The Expanse" series by James S.A. Corey?
I read only the first two books and looking forward to read the others. Maybe about to become a tv series... I think.
Mickey wrote: "Laz wrote: "However, I do have a major gap in which I have read nothing by C. J. Cherryh. Mickey, the first step to a cure is acknowledging the issue."
Always looking to improve myself :)
"I'd ..."
I'm nearly done with Leviathan Wakes
Kirsten wrote: "I'm nearly done with Leviathan Wakes."Cool, you have about six more books to read and I have five :)
Leviathan Wakes? Yep that's on my list of books I've been wanting to read along with Live Free or Die from John Ringo's Troy Rising series. I would also vote to read some of C.J. Cherryh's works. I'd love some direction in where to begin with her writings. I currently have Downbelow Station (Company Wars, #1) and Cyteen (Unionside #2) already in my queue waiting to be enjoyed. So a push towards her books or the Ringo/Corey series mentioned would be very helpful in my case.
Oh, I would love to do a full Cherryh series! Perhaps Company Wars or the Foreigner series?
I agree. I was introduced to Cherryh last year in another book club. I have the second book in the series Chanur's Venture to be read next. It would be nice to do a classic series like Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series or James White's Hospital Station.
Or Ben Bova's Tour of the Solar System series.
So it seems to me we could kill a few birds with one stone by going the Cherryh route. For example, she is a female author, Company Wars main books makes it sort of a triology, and Cyteen is a hugo award winner. :)
Rion wrote: "So it seems to me we could kill a few birds with one stone by going the Cherryh route. For example, she is a female author, Company Wars main books makes it sort of a triology, and Cyteen is a hugo..."I am game for Cherryh also. I think Downbelow station is also a Hugo.
But also Corey's "Expanse" appeals to me also.
Sorry correction. Cherryh's Unionside with Cyteen as the second book has three main books apparently. Company Wars beginning with Downbelow Station appears to have 7 main books.
@LazI see now where you got your avatar from :)
Mickey wrote: "@LazI see now where you got your avatar from :)"
Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!
Mickey wrote: "Rion wrote: "So it seems to me we could kill a few birds with one stone by going the Cherryh route. For example, she is a female author, Company Wars main books makes it sort of a triology, and Cy..."I like Expanse too. But reading an older series appeals to me for some reason. So I would vote for Cherryh.
Kirsten wrote: "...reading an older series appeals to me for some reason. So I would vote for Cherryh."How about her Foreigner series? Her 17th installment (2 short stories, 15 novels) of that just came out last month. We can be reading this series until late next year! Three of the novels in the series have been shortlisted for Locus awards, including the first.
Mod
ugh
mark hated it too I think...lol
anyway-some of these are more like good topics for a themed nomination!
the ones that are more series like should be a poll.....
@Maggie - a few details please...? Why did you hate it? The first Foreigner book was a little slow as there was a long back-story, but once the main thread got started I thought it was very good. And the rest just got better and better.
Mod
In my review I wrote I actually said out loud "Yay-something happened" and realized I couldn't go on. Also, it made me hate the word 'worry'. Bren could not have a line without being 'worried'. It was a book about how worried he was...even now I am getting annoyed about it, lmaoooooo
Yeah, I second the request for details. I think I read maybe three of the series, and really enjoyed them and always meant to go back and read the entire series. I remember the sense of being totally lost a lot of the time, as I think the main character was meant to be, and that was simultaneously uncomfortable yet enjoyable as a literary device.
@Maggie. I'll grant that the first book had a slow start. If published today, the story would probably start with the "petals from the sky", and the back-story would be told later. I don't know this as a fact, but I would guess that in 1994, CJ's editor/publisher insisted on a chronological order. Conversely, the entire 15-book series is told chronologically, so perhaps it was intentional.Maybe I'll ask her...
Kirsten wrote: "If we go modern, put me down for Jack McDevitt's Academy series. Or even the Revelation Space series by Alastai..."I'd love to do either of these. I've read about half of the Academy and the first of the Reynolds.
How about The Lost Fleet Series? 
Kirsten, let me just say, I *love* the Hospital Station books!
Science Fiction Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Relentless (other topics)Valiant (other topics)
Fearless (other topics)
Dauntless (other topics)
Victorious (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Fred Saberhagen (other topics)Ben Bova (other topics)
James White (other topics)
James S.A. Corey (other topics)
Nancy Kress (other topics)
More...
Another series? Some Random reads? Other ideas??