What SF are you reading now, 2000-2014?

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the "Planetary Sci-Fi" anthology


Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin and the late Gardner Dozois
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Deb]

I have just started Glasshouse by Charles Stross - so far so good...

[Deb]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Allan wrote: "RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I started reading:


All Clear by Connie Willis"

How did you like these two? They make up th..."

It seems to me that I have encountered a few sci-fi books which were basically a historical narrative.

I get that sci-fi is great for examining social questions, I get that Orwell's 1984 established a preceded for timeline bending. Even so, I do wish this kind of modern 'sci-fi' would make at least an effort to veil the fact that they are writing about history.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I started reading


Wool by Hugh Howey

[Ed]

Whoah! Slow down there! That's for next month. Maybe spend some more time with Flannery O'Connor. ;)

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Ed wrote: "Whoah! Slow down there! That's for next month. Maybe spend some more time with Flannery O'Connor. ;)"

I know! But I gotta get out ahead of it or folks will be droppin' spoilers on me!

[Ed]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I know! But I gotta get out ahead of it or folks will be droppin' spoilers on me!"

Spoiler: Not everything that rises must converge.

[Dan]

Nothing is safe from spoilers: In that story by O'Connor--the cow kills someone--or was it a bull?--up against a car for no real reason. Nothing rose, but the bovine and human converged...

[Ed]

Dan wrote: "...for no real reason..."

It was to teach you a lesson about God's grace and the Roman Catholic faith. Probably. I think that is what she said all her stories were about. But they are good anyway, even if I never understood the lessons.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the second half of the duology started by Blackout in the Oxford Time Travel series


All Clear by Connie Willis
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the "authorized" sequel to the late Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain


The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson

[Ed]

I've been slowly reading a pre-print of ФантАstika: Almanac of Bulgarian Speculative Fiction for the last year. I liked it. For whatever reason, I enjoyed the Fantasy stories more than the SF ones.

My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Not all countries have a home-grown SF publishing tradition. Bulgaria does now, thanks to a group of dedicated enthusiasts.

[Oleksandr]

I'm currently reading Velocity Weapon, which was shortlisted for PKD Award last year. So far a bit YA, but may be good

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the post-apocalyptic Science-Fiction novel:


Wool by Hugh Howey
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jim]

The Alpha Enigma by W. Michael Gear was fun, but not one of Gear's best. A bit of an action comic book. I gave it a 3 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Oleksandr]

Finished The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One - review is here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I "read" this on Audible.


The Egg and Other Stories by Andy Weir
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the interesting-yet-dull "authorized" sequel to Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain:


The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the third book in the Old Man's War series by the Master of Snark:


The Last Colony by John Scalzi

[Deb]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I finished the interesting-yet-dull "authorized" sequel to Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain:


The Andromeda Evolution..."

'Master of snark..."love it!

[Deb]

I am starting Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan I finished the second in the series a while back but I could not locate my copy of the third until I cleared out a corner of the spare room/library/art room/gateway to chaos yesterday.

[Peter]

Deborah wrote: "I could not locate my copy of the third until I cleared out a corner of the spare room/library/art room/gateway to chaos yesterday"

A sad, familiar story! "gateway to chaos," indeed. Chaos lurks, grows, POUNCES...

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Deborah wrote: "'Master of snark..."love it!..."

Yes. I did enjoy his Old Man's War series, or the first two books anyway. But a few years ago people at GR were gushing over Scalzi like he was the SF reincarnation of Faulkner. I personally think the guy can barely write his way out of a paper bag. But then again I think the same thing of a lot of SF writers, most of whom depend much less on "snark" as something akin to character development.

The sad truth is that the SF community is not only quickly captivated by authors who crank out easy-to-read junk with very little depth other than one interesting idea that may or may not be based in "science," but even worse the community then circles the wagons anytime someone points out that their emperor is not wearing any clothes (talk about mixing some metaphors!). It took a decade or so for Scalzi's star to fall. How long will it take for Dennis Taylor? Or Martha Wells? Or Andy Weir? And why is there is a bottomless appetite for mediocrity in the SF community?

[Oleksandr]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "a few years ago people at GR were gushing over Scalzi like he was the SF reincarnation of Faulkner"

My problem is that while I've read and enjoyed Scalzi, I haven't read Faulkner :) the first Old Man's War is definitely a homage to RAH and well-made one. His latest trilogy hasn't captivated me - I won't say he is a mediocrity but his works vary (as with most authors) and I don't include him in modern top-3 SF authors

[Ed]

"RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "How long will it take for Dennis Taylor? Or Martha Wells? Or Andy Weir? And why is there is a bottomless appetite for mediocrity in the SF community? ..."

The whole world has a bottomless appetite for mediocrity.

And most of the time, I would rather read a mediocre writer than read Faulkner. He has some gifts, but it takes more effort than it is worth, sometimes.

PS: When did Dennis Taylor become a star? I must have missed that. (I liked the one book I read by him.)

[Peter]

Ed wrote: "The whole world has a bottomless appetite for mediocrity.

And most of the time, I would rather read a mediocre writer than read Faulkner. He has some gifts, but it takes more effort than it is worth, sometimes."

Amen, for the "bottomless appetite" part. That's Andy Weir, for me.
Faulkner: likely scarred for life by being forced to read his stuff in class. I think I had to write an ESSAY! Teacher [professed to] LOVE his stuff... "As I Lay Dying". Gah.
Pet whine: had I not been a clueless Freshman, I could have had LARRY McMURTRY for my English 100 class @ Rice (ca. 1963), instead of the tired old ROJ guy mentioned above. I did later learn who he was: a pal of Ken Kesey, whose "Magic Bus" and Merry Pranksters showed up in force a couple years later, parked at the women's college.... Who knows how many Rice Girls lost their virtue to whozit, the busdriver. Ah, Neal Casaday. A notorious ravager of young womanhood. And what a story they would have, in later life! Type "Merry Pranksters" into Wikipedia for the details. "Noted for the sociological significance of a lengthy road trip they took in the summer of 1964, traveling across the United States in a psychedelic painted school bus called FURTHUR organizing parties and giving out LSD...."
McMurtey went on to marry Kesey's widow much later, in Tucson, where he was living with another woman, with whom he shared an Academy award for the screenplay for that gay cowboy flick whose name escapes me. But if any readers here missed his classic LONESOME DOVE.... Well. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... My highest possible recommendation! -- even if you have no (known) interest in Western Americana. Trust me on this. I've read it 4x over the years, and almost certainly will again!

[Chad]

I can’t remember ever really reading a Western novel and that has to change. I picked up Lonesome Dove at the library today. Thanks for mentioning it. I’m enjoying it so far.

[Peter]

Chad wrote: "I can’t remember ever really reading a Western novel and that has to change. I picked up Lonesome Dove at the library today. Thanks for mentioning it. I’m enjoying it so far."

Good on you! Hope it continues to work for you. Wonderful novel, in my view. On my 100 Best Ever list.

[Jim]

Chad wrote: "I can’t remember ever really reading a Western novel and that has to change...

SF & westerns have a lot in common in terms of plots & tones. Many of the early SF stories were just westerns with a few changes & many still are. I like both genres, although I'm pickier about westerns simply because of personal knowledge of horses & such. You might well get hooked, so here are a few recommendations.

Larry McMurtry is one of the best authors of the genre since he actually grew up on a ranch & could have been a cowboy. He didn't like the idea of all that work, but he understands it & its history well. I recently read his short nonfiction book Custer which was certainly different from most other accounts.

It's hard to find any of Donald Hamilton's westerns with the exception of The Big Country, a short story that became a blockbuster movie. (The link is to a novelization of the movie.) Any you can find are well worth reading. He wasn't a cowboy, but he lived out west, did a lot of research, & hunted extensively. Many of his fictional pieces have scenes cribbed directly from his factual articles for 'Field & Stream' or other outdoor/hunting magazines. No other author I've read has come close to his knowledge of guns & hunting.

Louis L'Amour is also worth reading. He mostly wrote western romances that were so similar it's tough to keep them straight, but he also branched out occasionally. Education of a Wandering Man is autobiographical & even more interesting than his fiction books. He had quite an interesting early life & read some amazingly dry books as he lived alone in deserted places.

At some point, it's probably worthwhile to read a book by Zane Grey. I doubt you'll be able to stomach more than one, but you'll see where a lot of the cliches in the genre got started. He was very popular & might be the first author to become a millionaire from his writing. (I think I read that somewhere.)

Elmore Leonard wrote some great western stories. Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories, Valdez Is Coming, & Hombre were all great stories/books as well as hit movies with big name stars.

[Leo]

I'm very unfamiliar with westerns. But reading this, I think I might like to try Lonesome Dove. Apart from Lucky Luke, I think the only thing I read that came close to western was Butcher's Crossing. Which was a terrific 5 star book for me.

[Chad]

Thanks Jim! I’m going to dig into a few of those. I’ll definitely be checking out Custer very soon.

[Ed]

Not reading much at present, but have been playing some SF video games!

"The Outer Worlds" is great. It is very story-rich. I'm playing it mostly avoiding fights by using my conversation skills. (Which I don't have in real life!) It is a story of colonists on far-off worlds controlled mostly by one or the other of two heartless companies. Most of the colonists are basically owned by the company they work for. It is a grim life for most of them.

"Psychonauts 2" is the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time. It deals with a squad of people (including some kids) who can travel inside the minds of others to help them deal with their psychological problems. Though it deals with some dark issues, it is mostly a bright and fun game. Easily my pick for best game writing of the year.

[Ed]

Jim wrote: "SF & westerns have a lot in common in terms of plots & tones. ..."

Yes, indeed. They are both often "frontier" stories. I watched Gunsmoke, Bonanza and similar things growing up, and the stories often resembled Star Trek and Twilight Zone. I haven't read many western books, though.

[Peter]

Ed wrote: " I haven't read many western books, though..."

The absolute best per me is LONESOME DOVE. Past that, it gets spotty. His ZEKE & NED is first-rate, by memory -- but the copy I checked out to re-read sits undisturbed on the shelf. Which is more a commentary on the run of good books (I hope) sitting unread on the TBR-on hand shelf. As always, some pan out, others don't....

[Peter]

Someone mentioned Zane Grey and Louis Lamour. The latter, I would avoid like the plague. Pure hackwork written at 2c/ word (a guess). No relation to the Real West. Zane Gray does have fans, but I've never felt the slightest urge to seek him out, in the last 50 years! Generic stuff, in my dim memory. Might be 60 years since I last read one. Kinda scary!

[Peter]

There are good SF novels written as all-but westerns. One is *almost* coming to the top of the memory bank....
Aha, "A Dry, Quiet War" by Tony Daniel. I wrote "It's something like a small Lonesome Dove in Space, and really, really good:"
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Free copy online, too. Don't miss! Novella; so what. Easy 5 stars!

[Peter]

Another is "Karen Memory" by the reliable Elizabeth Bear. A kickass Whore with a Heart of Gold, in a fun Steampunk world. My take: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5 stars! Good stuff, right from the start. Held up well to a reread last year.
Deep enough! ⚒︎

[Ed]

Peter wrote: "Ed wrote: "The absolute best per me is LONESOME DOVE.

I dunno. If I want to read about sad pigeons, maybe I should start with Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. I've heard it is a classic.

[Peter]

Ed wrote: "If I want to read about sad pigeons, maybe I should start with Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. I've heard it is a classicI Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. "

Hey, go for it!

[Leo]

Peter wrote: ""A Dry, Quiet War" by Tony Daniel."

Just read it and liked it. Any recommendations for other works from this author?

[Peter]

Leo wrote: "Peter wrote: ""A Dry, Quiet War" by Tony Daniel."

Just read it and liked it. Any recommendations for other works from this author?"

I liked his METAPLANETARY back in 2003-ish, but remember little about it. I rated it 4 stars, but other GR friends ratings are mixed at best. Here's a 4-star review online, offered without context:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
Plus there are a number of other 4-star reviews here --but also by reviewers I'm unfamiliar with!

[Leo]

thanks Peter I'll check it out

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the third book in the Old Man's War series:


The Last Colony by John Scalzi
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Oleksandr]

I've finished Reap the Wild Wind by Julie E. Czerneda, first published in 2007 and a prequel to an earlier series. seems quite interesting. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sabri]

Recently finished American War by Omar El Akkad.

I think it counts as Sci Fi although it's quite literary, in the way that e.g. Margaret Atwood's books are. The plot involves a civil war in near-future USA and there's a superpower empire in the Middle East stoking the flames. So kind of a tables-turned situation. Interesting exploration of the polarisation of the "liberal" north vs the "libertarian" south against the backdrop of climate change. Touches on the dehumanising & brutalising effects of war, which has parallels with the recent short group read A Dry, Quiet War.

[Ed]

I just read The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier. I give it 3.5 stars. It is a page-turner with an interesting premise.

In France it was published with a white cover, which indicates that it should be considered a book for high-minded people who would never dare to read trashy genre books with their tacky multi-colored covers. While it deals with some SF themes, it does feel more like "thriller".

Since it was published in English in 2021 I suppose I shouldn't talk about it in this thread which is for 2000-2020. But I'm cheating. And why not! On Amazon it is listed as the 20th best-selling book in "Space Fleet Science Fiction", even though there is no space fleet in it!

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I started reading this anthology that is a tribute to Jack Vance and his Tales of the Dying Earth series:


Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Note: It's probably more fantasy than sci-fi for those purists who don't like to get their chocolate in their peanut butter.

[James]

Might be outside the timeline (2021 or 2022), but I read the short story recently ‘Fortunate Son’ by Shane Gries and really enjoyed. I discovered he has a trilogy of full length books out also - https://www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Son-...

[Jim]

James wrote: "Might be outside the timeline (2021 or 2022)..."

It's "2000 & Up". We discussed changing the periods around, but decided just to go with that for a number of reasons for now. One is that it's nice to have 6 periods so we cover each one twice a year. I'm not opposed to changing them so that we have a Pre-1940 & break this period up into two: 2000-2010 or 2015 & from there up. The overall consensus was not at this time, though. Discuss in "Group Suggestions" if you disagree.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Jim]

It's a shame there is no description for Fortunate Son in either Amazon or GR, just mostly positive reviews. That makes it look interesting, but too mysterious for me.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I started reading the critically acclaimed science-fiction collection


The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

[Zhermen]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I started reading the critically acclaimed science-fiction collection


The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by [author:Ke..."

How do you find it so far?