Sci-Fi Group Book Club discussion
What sci-fi book have you just read?
Just read Binti by Nnedi Okorafor - short enough to read in one day's sitting, and indeed I did, because I couldn't put it down. The story introduces the heroine's deep-rooted Himba tribal culture - which has an almost spiritual connection with mathematical patterns and principles - to a wider world beyond the closed desert customs in which a red clay, called otjize , is spread over hair and body. She is the first of her tribe to gain admittance to the prestigious Oomza University (encompassing an entire planet a third the size of Earth), making herself a pariah in taking up the offer. However, on the shuttle journey from Earth to Oomza, the ship is ambushed by the alien enemies of the Khoush people, the Meduse. The rest of the story focuses on how Binti's tribal customs enable her to relate with the Meduse and help right a previous wrong.Picked this up because it was on the Hugo shortlist; I'm glad I did because it was a delight to read. In fact, bought a copy of The Book of Phoenix straightaway, planning to read more from Okorafor.
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This looks interesting - and Okorafor is a new author for me. So many authors, so many books and so little time!
Finally finished Kate Griffin's The Midnight Mayor and whizzed through Bob Heinlein's stitch up of two short stories written way back in 1941, Orphans in the Sky a major influence on the generation starship genre. Its certainly fast moving and with fascinating ideas,a bit of a Boy's Own sort of tale,but I wasnt at all keen.I had issues with the casual brutality and violence,the attitude to females,(feminists would want RAH boiled in oil after reading this book! lol),the mostly very unlikable characters,and also the preposterous ease in which an ignorant young man somehow manages to launch a space shuttle and navigates it to a planet and nonchalantly lands it ! Even RAH has to make a sort of excuse for him,breaking into the story to admit that it would be highly unlikely indeed,but that the boy was just a lucky lad! Sorry,just barely credible,and not my cup of tea.
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LOL That doesn't sound like Orphans in the sky has withstood the test of time very well!
Probably just one for the boys now I think,but back then generation ships must have seemed an awesome idea.nd since they give rise to numerous social,biological and technological problems,which are great stuff for authors to engage withmeven today(witness Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora I am still trying to get Aldis Non-stop,yet another take on the subject
Had a fun couple of days reading some quick short light stuff,while feeling a bit guilty about putting aside some other reads I really should be focusing on! lolEnjoyed Andre Norton's The Stars Are Ours which started off following a young man living in a grim world where scientists are being methodically exterminated by the harsh government as they are blamed for the destruction of society The world setting is very harsh and the last remnants of the scientific community secretly build a spaceship to take them away from certain death. It was a relief to fly off with the group,and then follow them to a new world. Cue exploration and first contact. It was only very near the end that I realised I had read the sequel, Star Born last year!
Thn today I thoroughly enjoyed Leigh Brackett's Black Amazon of Mars . I am not a fan of this sword and sorcery genre as a rule. I have only read a couple of Howard's Conan stories,and I was very lukewarm about them. Perhaps I was put off by seeing Big Arne's grim wooden face in my mind's eye as I read them? lol.
I did however really like C L Moore's Jirel of Joirey and now this engaging tale in the Eric John Stark series by Brackett.. I think its because both Brackett and Moore,being females,try to at least add a smidgen of human flaws or motivations instead of the grim tales,totally slash,bam,wallop, by the male authors of this genre! lol.
Wish more people knew about and read Leigh Brackett's work. Her The Long Tomorrow is one of the clasic books of the 50s. She was one of the early female writers in the genre,choosing an ambiguous name,like Moore and Norton.I intend to look out for more of Brackett,Norton and Moore in the future. Good stuff!
Hi guys! Just finished Ted Chiang's "Stories of Your Life amd Others", a very excellent short story anthology. I appreciate the variety of science fiction subgenres that he tackled. The title story plus "Tower of Babylon", "The Evolution of Human Science", "Liking What You See", "Exhalation" and "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" stand out the most for me.
Marvin Flores wrote: "Hi guys! Just finished Ted Chiang's "Stories of Your Life amd Others", a very excellent short story anthology. I appreciate the variety of science fiction subgenres that he tackled. The title story..."Hi Marvin! Just read the beginning of The Tower of Babylon from Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature and I must say, it grabbed me from the first paragraph. Won a Nebula, too. Definitely one for the reading list - thanks for the heads up!
Recently finished Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation with another group and loved it so much, I've embarked on the second book of the Southern Reach trilogy, Authority. Although not strictly a book, I've subscribed to Asimov's magazine on my kindle, and in the July issue there's a cracking little story called 'Masked' by Canadian author Rich Larson. It's very James T. Tiptree in tone, but what's really fascinating about it is the use of a near-future language completely infiltrated with social media-isms. In this respect, it reminded me of A Clockwork Orange, in which the gang-slang is like reading something in a completely different language until you get into the swing of it. Larsen's language, though, could easily be that of the next generation.
Would anyone be interested in a new thread on SF magazine short stories?
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Have yet to read anything by Vandermeer, although I do look a bit like him! The digest-sized magazines are considered books by GR, especially if they are available in ebook format so it's OK to add it to your shelf. Feel free to set up a new thread on stories (or indeed on any other topic), Donna!
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Greg wrote: "Donna Rae wrote: "Recently finished Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation with another group and loved it so much, I've embarked on the second book of the Southern Reach tri..."Thanks, Greg; I'll put the thread up.
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One of the last Sci-Fi books I've finished was the original Planet of the Apes. It was VERY different than the movie version of the 60s, or even the more current re-boot, but still a good read on its own. Definitely would have enjoyed it more if I had never seen the any of the films, nevertheless it's worth the time spent on the story. Especially enjoyed the twist at the end.
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When I was 5 I was allowed to watch the 1960s movie up to the point when the astronauts discover that somebody, or some thing, had gone through their belongings and shredded much of their gear while the men swam in a pond. That whole first part of the movie left a long, creepy, impression on me even after I saw the full movie when I was much older. I'd be interested in reading the book to see how it compares with the original movie (I haven't seen the remake).
I won't disclose any spoilers, but the only shared points of the 1968 movie and the book are the character names and that there are Apes ruling over men. Besides that, it's like two separate entities within the same genre. The closest equivocation would be if you compared the original Star Trek with the current ongoing Reboot...same characters, completely different story.
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Wow! That's quite a difference! Makes the book seem more intriguing now.
Just burned thru my 3rd time thru of Ender's Game in 2 days. Listened to the audiobook and it was just as refreshing as the print version. Really enjoyed the author's post script at the end of the book, actually given by Orson Scott Card himself. The evolutionary history of the story itself was ALMOST as good as the story. Highly recommended, especially since it was both the Nebula AND Hugo winner for 1985. If you've never read it, I think it's about time you did.
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That was a fast read (listen)! The print version I have has an introduction by Card that was written in 1991. Do you know if this is the same as the postscript in the audiobook or is the latter a more recent commentary on the writing of Ender's game?
This was more recent. It was the 20th anniversary edition of the book, so that would be 2005. It wasn't a "structured" post script. He seemed to be more talking off the cuff while using a loose outline of what he wanted to cover IMO. He gave a history of the evolution of the story from the beginning when he submitted it as a 70 page short story to Ben Bova's Magazine back in the 70's thru the movie adaption attempts. He mentioned the 2014 movie project but it wasn't released yet. It must have been in it's very, very early planning stages.
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I'd just see if the 20th anniversary audio version is available at your local library and either borrow it or d/l it. Save the $20 for another book or two.
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Good idea! I might do that!
Just finished Adulthood Rights, 2nd in the Octavia E Butler Lilleth's Brood series. The most 'alien' aliens I've ever read. I would describe it as literary SF. Really enjoyed it.
Decided to read 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson instead of this month's group reads as I had already taken it out from the library. It actually compares very well with the previous month's group reads, Seveneves and Children of Time, being quite similar in terms of futuristic terraforming of planets/ space objects, space travel and - in particular - dying/dead/catastrophy-ridden Earth. They're all doorstop sized reads as well; although, generally speaking, I enjoyed 2312 , it's longer than it needs to be, such that, at times, it felt as though it was wandering. For me, Seveneves also suffers from over-length, albeit for a different reason: its last third is distinctly a second book. Of the three, Children of Time fits its length most naturally, and despite my initial misgivings about its central premise, it was also the most enjoyable read (we're talking fiction after all!). That all said, if I was to rate these 3 novels in order of preference, it would run: #1 Children of Time, #2 2312, #3 Seveneves.
But of course, that's just me; others may disagree!
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And disagreement can spawn discussion! :P
It's interesting, though, that terraforming features in all of those books. The one I'm reading currently (Gridlinked) has a planet that was being terraformed until a catastrophic event brought that to an end. The book centres on an investigation as to what caused the catastrophe though it also has a strong, unrelated, sub-plot of psychopathic revenge.
I just finished reading Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher. It's probably more of a fantasy, but the story of how the people got to the world is strictly scifi so I consider them somewhat of a blend. :)
Kellie wrote: "I just finished reading Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher. It's probably more of a fantasy, but the story of how the people got to the world is strictly scifi so I consider them so..."My personal dividing factor of the two definitions is if it has MAGIC, it's fantasy...if it's technological..it's SF. When it's a blend of both...like Piers Anthony's
Apprentice Adept series...I just put the definition shotgun in my mental mouth, pull the trigger and enjoy the ride.
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Looks interesting - I've added the first volume in that series to my (now vast!) TBR shelf. Incidentally, some of Michael Moorcock's books would be a blend of heroic fantasy and science fiction though many people might only think of him as a fantasy writer.
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LOL PSXtreme!
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Almost finished reading Hunter's Run. Definitely an adventure story with strong character portrayal and development. Just like Dark Matter, the main character gets to meet his other self - although by very different means - which gives it that symbolic touch of examining the old self in order to reinvent the new. The aliens seem a bit extreme and far-fetched, with no explanation as to how they might have evolved. Also, a lot of emphasis on trapping, eating and excreting in the wild; then again, with the by-line 'Survival is the only law' stamped on the front cover, what else did I expect?Overall, an averagely enjoyable read, but leave your mild skepticism in the cupboard.
Just finished
The Dream of Perpetual Motion:If the movies "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" ever had a baby together, it would be this book. Its trippy banter both draws and repels the reader, depending on how big of a dose you get at one sitting. The "future" aspect has that Sky Captain 1930s future feeling where you have robots being run by gear and steam technology, radio and newspapers are the main medium of the press and the transistor never was created. Although I wanted to really like the book, I found myself drifting off numerous times and having to replay entire chapters because I realized that I was daydreaming and had no idea what was going on. Therefore, I couldn't give the book anything more than an average score.
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The Dream of Perpetual Motion:If the movies "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" ever had a..."
I checked out the book's blurb and when I saw the name Prospero I realised that it must be a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Although modern or futuristic retellings of old classics can be very good, I'm not surprised that you were drifting off at times, PSX, as The tempest is not one of Shakespeare's most exciting plays IMO!
Although it's now rather dated, Forbidden Planet worked quite well as an adaptation of The tempest. However, I remember getting the movie Prospero's Books way back in the '90s when the English film director, Peter Greenaway, was all the rage. The film was considered to be groundbreaking at the time it was made because of its combination of conventional and digital formats and also because of the large number of nude extras! Despite these things, I found myself nodding off while watching it.
Just read Stanislaw Lem's The Futurological Congress.My Review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If anyone digs the 80s, video games, movies and Dystopian SF, may I recommend Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I'll be finishing it up tonight and have enjoyed it very much. It would have been a 5-star title if not for the continued referrals to man-caused global warming. Also the references to "running out of natural resources" flies in the face of reality where people are discovering new caches of oil seemingly daily now. Nevertheless, for a debut novel, it is outstanding and really hits the spot. In listening to the audio-version, it's read by Wil Wheaton...which adds an extra dimension with the Wesley Crusher/Big Bang Theory atmosphere. Highly recommended.
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I bought that book a couple of years ago and still haven't got around to reading it yet! It's good to hear that it's a good read though.
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I am on the third instalment of Gene Wolfe's The Book of The New Sun series. Not an easy read but......I can't stop.
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I read the first book in the series many years ago. I enjoyed it then though it was a weird novel. I got the second volume but didn't read it, possibly because the other books in the series were not re-stocked by the local bookstore. I'd like to get back into it though.
Greg wrote: "Mel wrote: "I am on the third instalment of Gene Wolfe's The Book of The New Sun series. Not an easy read but......I can't stop."I read the first book in the series many years ago. I enjoyed it t..."
Worth revisiting Greg. I've been distracted by work over the last week but will finish the third book today and then will definitely download the fourth volume. It is weird and meandering but also seriously well written. So, if you have the time and patience......
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I read the first book in the series many years ago. I..."
I'll get round to it eventually but I have so much unread stuff currently that I'll need to make inroads into it before considering re-reads. But then I might change my mind....
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for its 3rd reading."It's funny that you posted about Dune as I'd only just read an article about David Lynch's movie, which is linked to from this topic!
Well, I had started
but discovered I wasn't in the mood for a mob book...and since I now have 8 of the dune books on audio, I thought I'd try to work thru them 1 after the other until I get Sandwormed out...
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but discovered I wasn't in the mood for a mob book...and since I now have ..."...or until your eyes go blue? ;)
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It's been a very long time since I read Dune, which may explain why I don't remember coffee being mentioned.... Or is this an oblique reference to spice?
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Nice idea to contrast the two books, Classic.
As for me, I just finished Masques Two. Though it's an anthology of horror short stories, the last one (which is the longest) could be described as science fiction as well. Although ten stories in this 26-story book were 4-star reads for me, I'd give the collection as a whole 3 stars.