What are you reading this June, 2017?

[Mary]

The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 4: Admiralty by Poul Anderson

[Poonam]

The Man in the High Castle was okay. It was not what I was expecting. It was interested to read about the new uncertainty and relationship between the Americans and the Japanese, but beyond that I don't think I appreciated it. I wonder if the show is better.
I burned through The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self. So amazing. I'm working on The Bands of Mourning, now. And I'm loving it. Man, Brandon Sanderson is kind of a genius.

In the Indie world, I listened to the audiobook of Perses by K.A. Finn, which is a novella follow up to two previous books in the series. It's pretty fascinating space story about a controlling government messing around with the development of cyborgs in an unethical way. I've really enjoyed them so far.

[Chris]

Just finished old mans war, so thought I'd stick with sci-fi for a while; Reading Xenocide the next book in Enders quintet for me. I shelved this for a while as I thought it would struggle to be as good as speaker for the dead due to reviews and ratings but I love the series so here goes.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Chris wrote: "Just finished old mans war, so thought I'd stick with sci-fi for a while; Reading Xenocide the next book in Enders quintet for me. I shelved this for a while as I thought it would struggle to be as..."

Let me know how you like it. I'm in the middle of reading the series (in publication order, roughly) myself, taking a break before I jump into Ender in Exile. I thought it was a steep drop off from Speaker for the Dead to Xenocide. The Shadow books were OK though.

[[deleted user]]

Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time was a totally engrossing scifi read. I don't think there's any one element that's unique, but he's blended ideas of a space colonozination arc, Earth ruining itself with war, an unusual 'alien' society, and even his uplift program gives a nod to its predecessors by naming the reasearch ship "Brin". Tchaikovsky's mixed these ideas together in a thoughtful blend where pretty much nothing goes as planned.

Winner of the 2016 Clarke Award. I may have to rethink my opinion of the Clarke Award. I'll definitely have to read more Tchaikovsky.

[[deleted user]]

If like me you're planning to read Yoo Ha Lee's Raven Stratagem, (the sequel to Ninefox Gambit. Goes on sale today!) Solaris (the publisher) has some interesting background on the hexarchate’s factions from the author (each faction's page has links to the others.) Lee also has an article, Generals in Space?, in Rising Shadow on the hexarchate’s military ranks and apologies to noncoms.

[Brendan]

G33z3r wrote: "If like me you're planning to read Yoo Ha Lee's Raven Stratagem, (the sequel to Ninefox Gambit. Goes on sale today!) Solaris (the publisher) has some interesting bac..."

I was on the fence about picking this up since i didn't love how Gambit ended, but I guess that's also a reason to read the next one.

[Mary]

The Green Knight’s Squire by John C. Wright

[Silvana]

Whoa, Brendan, spoiler! I have not read Ninefox Gambit :(

[Brendan]

Sorry, deleted it. You should read the book!

[Silvana]

Brendan wrote: "Sorry, deleted it. You should read the book!"

It's already in the mail.

[Roger]

Brendan wrote: "Sorry, deleted it. You should read the book!"

Please make sure to use spoiler tags unless in a thread marked with a spoiler warning.

[Shaitarn]

Just finished the brilliant Seasons of War which I recommend to anyone who likes character-driven fantasy and am about to start Malice.

[Peter]

I have added two more books to my reading cycle this month. I am re-reading both Moonshae, a D & D setting book about some Celtic / Faerie-inspired islands and an RPG rule book called Changeling: The Dreaming, about fey who have taken on mortal shells to survive in a world where imagination and dreams are in short supply.

I am reading in much shorter sittings than I did early last year. I read so much in February through April then that I shorted out my hippocampus.

[Brendan]

Currently reading Raven Stratagem.

[Rachel]

I wonder if we will have enough people reading raven stratagem in June/July to do a special group discussion ?
I'll be reading it in July

[Peter]

Rachel wrote: "I wonder if we will have enough people reading raven stratagem in June/July to do a special group discussion ?
I'll be reading it in July"

I just took a look at it via the posted link. "War, Heresy and Madness". Well, opera can sound a lot like war and I think heresy and madness are fun to read about. I enjoy reading Lovecraft, you see. I'm willing to risk reading it. ;)

[[deleted user]]

Peter wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I wonder if we will have enough people reading raven stratagem in June/July to do a special group discussion ?
I'll be reading it in July"

I just took a look at it via the posted link..."

It's the 2nd book in a series; you'd need to read Ninefox Gambit first.

[TheBookHunter]

Hello all, currently i'm on a Star Wars buzz for the summer, reading through the first three books of the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series, currently on Book 2.

When I finish that, I'm moving onto two new canon Star Wars books: Catalyst a Rogue One tie-in, and Battlefront: Twilight Company.

Then back into the 'Legends' continuity, I will begin the first book in the Darth Bane trilogy, Path of Destruction. Lots to read!

[Davy]

TheBookHunter wrote: "Then back into the 'Legends' continuity, I will begin the first book in the Darth Bane trilogy, Path of Destruction."

Aside from the Thrawn trilogy, the Bane trilogy is my favourite series of the SW expanded universe. Enjoy!

I'm finishing up Towers of Midnight this month. Not as great as The Gathering Storm, but still very good. After that, it's time to delve into the Dark Tower with The Gunslinger.

[TheBookHunter]

Davy wrote: "TheBookHunter wrote: "Then back into the 'Legends' continuity, I will begin the first book in the Darth Bane trilogy, Path of Destruction."

Aside from the Thrawn trilogy, the Bane trilogy is my fa..."

Thanks, Davy. I can't wait to give it a read, I cherish the Thrawn trilogy, as well as the new canon book Thrawn.
Also I'd like to delve into the Dark Tower series myself!

[Peter]

G33z3r wrote: "Peter wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I wonder if we will have enough people reading raven stratagem in June/July to do a special group discussion ?
I'll be reading it in July"

I just took a look at it via..."

Ah, thank you. That didn't register when I skimmed the listing. Will put Ninefox Gambit on the to-read shelf.

[Faith]

I finished Injection Burn by Jason M. Hough. My review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mary]

Sudden Rescue by Jon Mollison

[Mike]

After I finished Watership Down, I began American Gods. I'm about 20% in and liking it. Once I finish it we'll get started on the TV series.

[Cat]

I got distracted from my bunny reading mini challenge and read high fantasy Magician which I can't believe I haven't read sooner, I really enjoyed it, am currently re-reading Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins for alt. fairy tale short stories which I adore, and am about to read the genre-defying Margaret Atwood's Hag-Seed. Plus I'm currently making my way through a non-fiction history of the Russian empire

[Peter]

I took G33z3r's suggestion and began reading Ninefox Gambit this morning. It has a solid opening. I'm hooked and I want to read more.

I set aside Changeling the Dreaming to pick up Ninefox Gambit.

[[deleted user]]

Peter wrote: "I took G33z3r's suggestion and began reading Ninefox Gambit this morning. It has a solid opening. I'm hooked and I want to read more...."

I think the reaction most people have to Ninefox Gambit's openning is "what the heck is going on?" Lee has a universe where the laws of physics vary (somewhat) with where you are (or more specifically, the mathematical system used within the space.) Hence, exotic weapons and mathematicians as military tacticians. (None of that's a spoiler, by the way.)

(In a similar yet different way, Vinge's universe in our upcoming classic discussion topic A Fire Upon the Deep also has different rules (zones of thought) depending on where you are.)

[Silvana]

Taking a break from two nonfics, I starter Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. Just 15% but I feel this book is overrated. Maybe it gets better. But surely it is not as funny as many people say.

[Peter]

G33z3r wrote: "Peter wrote: "I took G33z3r's suggestion and began reading Ninefox Gambit this morning. It has a solid opening. I'm hooked and I want to read more...."

I think the reaction most pe..."

I can understand that reaction. I could see how people reading it could feel that way. I am curious, so I was open to what the author wanted to send my way.

I felt Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep was an engaging book. I look forward to discussing it.

[Brendan]

Ninefox Gambit had such a great, I guess you would call it "atmosphere"? Like a William Gibson novel, you might not know exactly what's happening but you are swept along by the energy and tone. With the sequel, I'm finding that I do know what's happening and it lacks a bit of that spark as a result.

[Peter]

Brendan wrote: "Ninefox Gambit had such a great, I guess you would call it "atmosphere"? Like a William Gibson novel, you might not know exactly what's happening but you are swept along by the ener..."

Interesting. I think I understand the analogy. I have read Gibson's work and it does have an identifiable atmosphere.

[Gary]

Silvana wrote: "Taking a break from two nonfics, I starter Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. Just 15% but I feel this book is overrated. Maybe it gets better. But surely it is not as funny as many people say."

Have you gotten to hooking up with Moog yet? That wizard cracks me up at times. I am at the 59% mark in the book (less than 200 pages to go)

[Andrea]

Finished Belgarath the Sorcerer by David Eddings. As someone mentioned, it doesn't really provide much that's new, but I like the character and his comments on how history records an event versus what really happened were kind of fun. Was rather long though (of course, had to cover something like 5 thousand years...)

Switched to Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear because I made it through the other two and just want to finish it up. I'd actually bought the third book before I got the other two because it was on sale and it had an interesting Mongolian setting. Though in the end I find I'm not all that impressed with the trilogy. Perhaps it will end with a bang.

[Silvana]

@Gary: Yes I met Moog. Just alright character. So far the novel has not impressed me at all either from writing (passable), characters (tropey), story (boring), and the much applauded humour (nonexistent).

[Davy]

TheBookHunter wrote: I cherish the Thrawn trilogy, as well as the new canon book Thrawn.

Haven't read the new canon Thrawn yet, nor have I seen him in action in the Rebels TV-show. But I'm planning on doing both at some point.

[Catherine]

G33z3r wrote: "So, as we plan our summer solstice rituals, what are you reading?"

Happy Summer or Winter Solstice, depending on what hemisphere you live in. I know I'm behind the curve on this one, but I'm finally reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
I love what Rothfuss does with descriptions, mood, atmosphere, and how he weaves his tale, but I'm starting to find his hero too perfect and too good at everything. He is thrown into grim and hopeless situations, but he triumphs almost too easily. He's a
genius, a master musician, and has ingenious street smarts too. We'll see how that progresses in the rest of the book.

[Armand]

I gave The Fellowship of the Ring a first time read at the start of the month. I had first tried reading it when I was too young, and found the language and pace too difficult. I had come across a few quotations from the book when I signed up for Goodreads, and thought the beautiful language warranted another read. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped. I found a lot of the storytelling needlessly protracted, wherein one paragraph immediately negates the former. A lot of language akin to "they walked in the cold and damp, and felt disheartened. Then, sun began to shine through the clouds, and their clothes dried in its radiance, and their hearts began to lighten." There are a few sequences I found very memorable, like the dogged pursuit of the black riders through to Rivendell, the last few sequences in Moria, or, my favourite, the "All that is gold does not glitter"poem. However, those instances, I found rather few and far between.

I've started Watership Down a few days ago, and I'm about halfway through. I'm enjoying this much more, both in terms of pacing, and writing. I like it when books feel a bit like a puzzle, wherein I have to try to understand what it is the characters are talking about, if using an unknown language, or reading into the significance of non-verbal communication.

[Mary]

Coming Home by Tom Rogneby

[Kivrin]

Just finished The Last Dragonslayer for my book club. It's a quirky fantasy that I think Fforde wrote as a children's book. I like his writing, and this book was a nice little bit of fluff.

Starting Winterbirth which is turning out to be a major epic read. I'm still trying to get all the characters straight--the naming logic eluded me for a while--but it's pretty good so far.

[Shaitarn]

Reading Shaman's Crossing.

[Laura]

The Enchantress returns LOS by: Chris Colfer & The Bone Queen by: Alison Croggon

[Brendan]

Finished Raven Stratagem. It was the reverse of Ninefox Gambit where I really enjoyed the ending. but the middle was a bit too talky. ★★★★☆, same as Gambit.

[Silvana]

@Kivrin: I like The Last Dragonslayer as well and want to continue with the series. It's quirky, reminds me of Pratchett.

Finished a novella by Martha Wells,All Systems Red which is really fun and sharp. An SF with a POV of a snarky, super introvert, TV series obsessed security robot trapped in a research mission gone bad. Hilarious. And on sale too for 3.99 on Kindle.

Now starting Lock In by Mr. Scalzi.

[Andreas]

The Witchwood Crown is the next novel in Tad William's Osten Ard series, it will be published next Tuesday.
I've reviewed it at my blog.

[NekroRider]

Since my last post I've made a solid foray into re-reading Redwall. Finished Redwall, Mossflower, and Mattimeo. Its been so long that I hadn't really remembered the plots much at all, so it was a nice bit of nostalgia still with a good element of surprise.

I also finished another Arnaldur Indridason mystery (Jar City), which was pretty cool and interesting.

Now I'm just over 100 pages left to go in Madeline Ashby's Company Town. Anyone else read this book? Overall I'm really liking it. The story is pretty interesting, especially her use of current social issues, the way current urban development trends exacerbate them, and projecting both into a future world. Some pretty cool technologies she describes too. Though that part is kind of both good and confusing. The first chapter of this book was pretty confusing, and even now while I'm nearly done the book her descriptions of some of the technologies still leave me a bit confused. And on a minor level as someone who lived several years in Newfoundland I found her attempt to integrate Newfie slang and dialect into the book felt far too forced and insincere. But overall enjoying it.

[Brendan]

NekroRider wrote: "I found her attempt to integrate Newfie slang and dialect into the book felt far too forced and insincere."

Yeah I found that quite bizarre too. I've known many Nova Scotians and none of them spoke with the accent of a cartoon Newfie fisherman. I get that its tricky to represent code switching but the author exaggerated way too much.

[Andrea]

Finished Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear. While I was unimpressed by the first two books, this third one really built up nicely into a "Battle of 5 Armies" kind of conclusion that actually wrapped up all the various storylines (which I wasn't sure was going to happen as I started running out of pages). And I finally started actually caring what happened to the characters, which is kind of important to enjoying a book.

Switching now with great anticipation to American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This will be my first Gaiman, so my expectations are high, but at the same time I have absolutely no clue what the book is supposed to be about, so I'm not to worried about being disappointed. As opposed to something like The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle since I grew up on the movie and I have all kinds of ideas in my head as to what the book *should* be, and hence I have avoided reading it thus far :)

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Andrea wrote: "Finished Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear. While I was unimpressed by the first two books, this third one really built up nicely into a "Battle of 5 Armies" kind of conclusion that actually wrap..."

I finished American Gods a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. If only I could watch the TV show without subscribing to Starz...

[David]

I just finished The Shadow of What Was Lost and have just started The Well of Ascension.