What Else Are You Reading - May 2017

[Rob, Roberator]

May is upon us. What are you reading this month?

[Aaron]

Finished the new Alex Verus book Bound: I like this urban fantasy series better than Dresden, it's great...please read it. Mostly because it has a consistent villain and he is amazing in a completely reasonable villain mastermind kind of way that you and the main character are constantly unsure if he is puppet mastering everything or just merely has lots of contingency's. ★★★★☆

Read The (sort of) Dark Mage it was a good fun fantasy comedy ★★★★☆, but it hasn't had a new entry in the series in years and there is no way the story has been concluded in the 2nd or even upcoming 3rd book.

Finished up book 4 of tour of the MerrimackStrength and Honor★★★★☆. I liked this one better because it didn't have any retreads from book 1.

Working though the audio book of Will Save the Galaxy for Food, it's fun and probably has some of the best comedic metaphors in the book world.

I'm probably picking up the Memories on audible next as I was a fan of the webnovel and it would be nice to see what improvements have been made.

[Kristina]

Getting back into The End of All Things after leaving it behind when we went on vacation. Then I'll do the pick for the month... I still have a giant pile from the library and a couple pre-orders that have come in so whatever is after the pick is yet to be determined :P

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished reading Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh. I thought it was pretty boring overall and gave it 2 stars. You can read my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm partway through a bunch of other stuff, including:
- The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley - I'm not really loving this one. I hope it gets better soon.
- Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman - the stories are poems are sort of uneven, but overall I like it.
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman - I like this, but not as much as other Gaiman books I have read (Stardust and Coraline)
- Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson - this is one of the better hard SF books I have read
- Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke - very slow going so far.
- A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin - I was hoping to finish this one before The Winds of Winter is released. Regrettably, that doesn't appear to be a problem....

[Trike]

I started Off Rock which was an impulse buy. Pretty good first chapter. I previously bought the first book he wrote (Koko Takes a Holiday) but I haven't gotten around to it. It's around here somewhere.

Also started The Blade Itself, my first Abercrombie. It likewise has a decent first chapter.

[David H.]

Asimov's Science Fiction, March/April 2017 edited by Sheila Williams. The novella by Broderick was kind of so-so for me (it was primarily a reflection on Tao within a scifi story, but didn't really work for me since I know nothing about Tao). I enjoyed half of the novelettes, and most of the short stories. The story by Sarah Pinsker was a pseudo-sequel to Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" from the perspective of the child. Yeeaaah...

Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr. Very interesting structure to this series. Very well written, and I definitely saw the character development here (super loved what happened with (view spoiler)[Cullyn (hide spoiler)].)

Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything by David Bellos. A non-fiction book discussion translation. It doesn't go into everything about translation, but definitely gave a good luck at the thinking behind it.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. I read this today. Definitely a fun set up, and I look forward to the sequel in a couple years (I think Scalzi is planning on working on the sequel to Lock In first).

[John (Nevets)]

Kristina wrote: "Getting back into The End of All Things after leaving it behind when we went on vacation. Then I'll do the pick for the month... I still have a giant pile from the library and a cou..."

You know I actually think those two books will compliment each other quite well. They are both sci-fi books, that are more character driven then plot driven. And while the stories themselves are vastly different along with the writers, I think they will work well together if you like that style of book.

[Lariela]

Just started House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.

[Rick]

It was on sale and I'd seen it around so on a whim I picked up and read Mort e which turned out to be a charming, affecting and surprisingly thought provoking story about When The Pets Revolt.

Just started The Iron Khan the 5th book in the Liz Williams series. It appears the Book of Creation has decided to go walkabout, perhaps.

On deck I have Void Star which just sounds really cool.

[Shad]

Finished this month's pick, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I really enjoyed it. Here is my review.

Back to my reread of The Way of Kings.

[Stephen]

Red Sister , I hope this is the breakout novel for Mark Lawrence, and The Last Colony as I thin the TBR pile.

[David H.]

All Systems Red by Martha Wells. This is the first in a Tor.com novella series featuring Murderbot, a robot who has hacked its "governor module" so it can't be ordered around, but it just watches soap operas most of the time--until something starts happening to the surveyors it's assigned to. Loved this guy. It's pretty funny in parts, so I definitely recommend it.

[Shad]

Stephen wrote: "Red Sister , I hope this is the breakout novel for Mark Lawrence, and The Last Colony as I thin the TBR pile."
I enjoyed The Rook and went on to read Stiletto. One thing that is different about Stiletto is that there are 3 POV characters. Myfanwy is actually the third POV character and therefore does not have any letters in that book. If you love the unabashed craziness of the world, I would highly recommend Stiletto because it just gets crazier.

[Aaron]

kafanyu wrote: "Just finished The Rook. Loved the unabashed craziness of the world and the Myfanwy/Thomas dichotomy. I feel like I'm probably in the minority, but I really liked Thomas and enjoyed ..."

Start with Guards! Guards! and read that storyline.

For your other question Stiletto is not as good, but still quite good I would say remove 1 star from whatever you rated the Rook.

[Silvana]

Trike, I hope you enjoy The First Law trilogy. They are SO GOOD.

Ok. I am now reading Parable of the Sower, my first Octavia Butler book. Easy to follow in a narrative sense but the story is just so damn bleak I found myself need to phase my reading.

[Keith]

What with Walpurgisnacht and May day just passed, I was in the mood for some good ol' fashioned folk horror full of suspicious countryfolk, strange rituals, and probably lots of Morris Dancing. So I am going with The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman. The first thing that happens is a pagan pendant shows up to scold everyone for just picking some random ritual out of an old book instead of doing proper research to find the ritual traditional for that town. So...so far, so good.

[Walter]

Not genre, but just finished one of the moat compelling nonfiction books I've ever read, Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco.

Also recently read, for the first time, Crime and Punishment while listening to the Modern Scholar lecture series audiobook, The Modern Scholar: The Giants Of Russian Literature. Fortunately I've already read Anna Karenina, so dodged a brick there.

Now starting on our BotM.

[Dara]

I'm reading The Handmaid's Tale and it is predictably horrifying.

[Jordan]

Just started Spaceman of Bohemia today. It's weirdly interesting so far.

Finished Final Girls yesterday. I pretty much always love her stuff. It's always got the right combination of creepy yet fun.

[Jordan]

kafanyu wrote: "Just finished The Rook. Loved the unabashed craziness of the world and the Myfanwy/Thomas dichotomy. I feel like I'm probably in the minority, but I really liked Thomas and enjoyed ..."

The Rincewind books are usually not my favorite Discworld books. The books featuring the Witches or Death are typically the ones I enjoy most. I'd recommend trying out a couple of the characters rather than trying to read all the way through all of one's books.

[John (Taloni)]

Skimmed Cugel the Clever to finish it. I'm just not relating to the Dying Earth books no matter how classic they are considered to be. Usually I can at least appreciate the artistry. In this case, I'm turned off by the unlikable characters and depressing world. Well, done. Don't think I'll even try the other two.

[Jennifer]

I am reading The Chanur Saga

[Joseph]

Jennifer wrote: "I am reading The Chanur Saga"

One of my favorites!

(Although, just in case you didn't know, when they published the Chanur omnibuses (omnibi?), they split them weirdly. The Chanur Saga contains the Chanur equivalent of The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Rings, and The Two Towers, and ends on a colossal cliffhanger. The story concludes in Chanur's Endgame, which also has a later follow-up book.)

[Jennifer]

Joseph wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I am reading The Chanur Saga"

One of my favorites!

(Although, just in case you didn't know, when they published the Chanur omnibuses (omnibi?), they split them weird..."


I see needing to purchase the book before I am done. The publishers did that with many books.

I am enjoying it so far. I really like the perspective. Can you imagine being Tully?

[Misti]

After I finished The Invisible Library last week. I took a little reading respite because my mom had a surgical procedure (she's doing great). Kinda glad I did because my library hold on A Conjuring of Light came in. I plan to start this month's pick as son as I'm finished.

[Joseph]

Jennifer wrote: "I am enjoying it so far. I really like the perspective. Can you imagine being Tully?"

Yeah, he's had a rough time of it.

[Jennifer]

Joseph wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I am enjoying it so far. I really like the perspective. Can you imagine being Tully?"

Yeah, he's had a rough time of it."

Those last two books are easier to get as singles. The "special" edition is over $60.

[Joseph]

Jennifer wrote: "Those last two books are easier to get as singles. The "special" edition is over $60. ..."

Excellent point. Chanur's Homecoming and Chanur's Legacy. All five books are also available electronically, if you roll that way.

[Trike]

Misti wrote: "After I finished The Invisible Library last week. I took a little reading respite because my mom had a surgical procedure (she's doing great). Kinda glad I did because my library ho..."

I'm glad she's doing well.

Not so glad Goodreads cut that sentence where it did. :p

[John (Taloni)]

Misti, do you think you will read the others? I got hooked into the series after the first one.

Trike, you can paste text in between the quotes, so you can actually include a lot more of a person's post if you want. The auto cutoff can be overridden. I dunno if you were just joking but if not, the restriction is easy to get around.

[Trike]

John (Taloni) wrote: "Misti, do you think you will read the others? I got hooked into the series after the first one.

Trike, you can paste text in between the quotes, so you can actually include a lot more of a person'..."

I know how it works. It was just a joke.

[Dara]

Finished The Handmaid's Tale this morning. It was a rough read. My review. Not sure if I'll pick something up or just wait for Assassin's Fate to come out.

[Silvana]

City of Miracles

Don't read the synopsis if you don't want to get spoiled.

(view spoiler)[like seriously? killing a major character, the first novel MC, offscreen, then put it into the synopsis? (hide spoiler)]

[Adrian]

I decided to start reading American Gods since the TV show debuted on Starz. It's long!

[Lariela]

Just started Ahsoka.

[Louie]

Lariela wrote: "Just started Ahsoka."

I am currently reading Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, planning on Ahsoka next. ;-)

[Colin]

Just reached 'The End' on The End of the Day by Claire North. A bit of a strange one. I can't say that nothing happens, or that I didn't enjoy it, but I'd still have a hard time telling you what it's actually about.

Next up (alongside this month's pick) is Cory Doctorow's new one - Walkaway.

[Shad]

Just finished Thrawn and here is my review. Solid return for a very intriguing character.

[Rick]

Colin wrote: "Just reached 'The End' on The End of the Day by Claire North. A bit of a strange one. I can't say that nothing happens, or that I didn't enjoy it, but I'd still have a hard time tel..."

All of her Claire North novels are like that, I think. The journey is fun but when someone says "so ,what's it about?" it's hard to say. Each of them so far (I've not read End... yet) seem to be about a pivotal point in the life of someone who has a power that sets them apart from people and who are confronted with some basic change. Her Gameshouse novellas are a little different though and of course her Kate Griffen novels are vastly different.

[Fried]

Finished Fatherland, interesting and decently well written.

Also halfway through the audiobook of The Collapsing Empire. This is the Scalzi that I used to love. Is really fun and engaging. And of course, Wil Wheaton is awesome.

[Phil]

Just finished Tempest by Troy Denning. This is the third in the "Legacy of the Force" series of nine. The first third of this book was so slow and boring that I was thinking about lemming the whole series even though I had already bought them all at a garage sale but then the rest of the book really picked up and caught my interest. I don't dread the next one quite so much now.
Starting The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

[William]

I'm on a personal reading challenge to read more "Classic" F&SF, the stuff that I keep hearing influenced the things I love to read.

As a result I've been reading some old issues of Astounding and Galaxy in addition to recently finishing The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe.

Now I'm 15% into The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales by HP Lovecraft. Really enjoying myself.

[Sky]

I finished Sins of Empire. I forgot how much I liked McClellan's mix of fantasy, fireworks, and mystery. I'll have to go back and listen to the recent podcast with McClellan now.

Next up I am starting City of Miracles.

[Clyde]

Just finished Ninefox Gambit, a most unusual book.

Next, getting away from SF&F for a bit with Doc by Mary Doria Russell and Special Circumstances by Sheldon Siegel.

[Silvana]

@Sky: What podcast? I too enjoyed Sins of Empire alot. He is definitely progressing as a writer.

And you will enjoy City of Miracles too. I just finished it two days ago. A more somber take but it was still a great read with fantastic worldbuilding.

[Darren]

Silvana wrote: "@Sky: What podcast?

I'm guessing this one:
http://swordandlaser.com/home/2017/3/...

[Andrew]

I've started to read The Magicians' Guild, which is my first experience of reading Trudi Canavan. I'm enjoying it so far - I remember seeing the books everywhere when the series was first published, but was a bit too busy studying at the time to check out doorstop fantasy tomes!

[Rick]

Because of a mention in one of the threads about "A Long Way..." I picked up Quarter Share which was a quick (~3 hour) enjoyable read. Not deep, not at all plot heavy but I can see the comparison to Long Way.

[Sky]

Silvana wrote: "@Sky: What podcast? I too enjoyed Sins of Empire alot. He is definitely progressing as a writer.

And you will enjoy City of Miracles too. I just finished it two days ago. A more somber take but it..."

Thanks! I think I need to go read plot summaries somewhere of the first two books of the Divine Cities. I struggled a bit last book remembering what happened in the first, and now I can't recall at all what the last book was about!

Here is the S&L podcast from a month or so back:

http://swordandlaser.com/home/2017/3/...

Cheers!

[Jordan]

Finished Spaceman of Bohemia. I liked it, but there were a few points where it lost me in the whole question of what's real and what's in his head.

Just starting on the audiobook of Foundation and Empire. So far liking it just as well as the first. Same narrator that I liked too.

Almost finished with Strange the Dreamer, which I'm really loving. I'm pretty excited to see where it's going. On the other hand, her other series I tried to read ended in a literal "to be continued" so I'm also a little apprehensive as well.