SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2019?
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Kirsten
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Sep 17, 2019 08:33AM
I"ve been reading The Crimson Deathbringer by Sean Robins
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CBRetriever wrote: "He's not completely sci-fi."Oh, I didn't mean that! Just that I've only read his scifi, so in my mind he's the space spider guy :D
Anna wrote: "I started Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and what an interesting mix of things! It's almost like a fantasy of manners, narrated by the lovely [author:Emma ..."Aw! That's wonderful to hear! I want to read so much more of Tchaikovsky - when I find the time ...
I just had the most delightful re-acquaintance with one of my childhood treasures: Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant. As it turned out I couldn't remember a thing about this book, so it was like a first read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the walk on memory lane.Unfortunately the author only has written the four books I own and is apparently not known anymore. Her books only seem to be available as second hands nowadays.
Gabi wrote: "I just had the most delightful re-acquaintance with one of my childhood treasures: Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant. As it turned out I couldn't remember a thi..."The High Kings is available in Kindle
CBRetriever wrote: "The High Kings is available in Kindle"That's the only one. It is a retelling of old British tales.
To quote from Anna, I've just finished an epic slog from "the space spider guy" hehe! Cage of Souls is like wading through treacle at times, but ultimately I thought that it was worth the effort. It felt like a lot more than 600 and whatever pages - even Stephen King's 'IT' didn't seem as long as this book did to me, and that's over 1100 pages! But as I say, worth it in the end.
Read Thomas Burnett Swann's Where is the Bird of Fire? and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2979823508.
Lizzie wrote: "To quote from Anna, I've just finished an epic slog from "the space spider guy" hehe! Cage of Souls is like wading through treacle at times, but ultimately I thought that it was worth the effort. I..."That's another of his books not available for US residents and the paperback is the cheapest at $16.09 plus $7.00 shipping from Ireland.
Anna wrote: "Haha! :D Cage of Souls is also on my TBR, good to know it should stay there for now."I've just seen folks comparing it to Gene Wolfe's "Books of the New Sun" and the ebook is only € 1.09 on amazon.de ... Now I'm tempted to throw my BR schedule overboard and start reading it ... :D
Gabi wrote: "...I've just seen folks comparing it to Gene Wolfe's "Books of the New Sun" ..."!!! You sell it well :o
I started reading The Testaments on Sunday and listening to Red Mars on Monday and going back and forth between these works quite well for me right now. And it's an interesting contrast to be reading the latter relatively shortly after To Be Taught, If Fortunate.
Mareike wrote: "....And it's an interesting contrast to be reading the latter relatively shortly after To Be Taught, If Fortunate."I was reading these side by side as well, and the comparisons were easy, indeed :)
SciFi and Fantasy Read in 2019 so far:
Currently Reading:
SciFi and Fantasy Books that Need to be Read by the End of the Year:
is currently reading "Best Served Cold" by Joe Abercrombie.Mayhem, death, turmoil, rinse and repeat. BUT it is mayhem, death and turmoil at a very high level and sometimes funny.
Not a book for the gentle a solid rated R.
I really enjoyed To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
My Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am totally enjoying Cage of Souls. Almost dead Earth and the last remnants of civilization along with a prison make for an interesting story.
CBRetriever wrote: "I am totally enjoying Cage of Souls. Almost dead Earth and the last remnants of civilization along with a prison make for an interesting story."I'm just reading this, too. And I love it so far (60% in)
is currently reading "Odd Billy Todd". Love and Logistics in the Post Apocalyptic World. Alas, no zombies.
I just finished Cage of Souls. Wow! Totally enthralling. I just raced through it. And for those who like standalone books, this looks like it is one. Unlike Children of Ruin, it only has one point of view so it's likely more approachable. It does have spiders of a sort. In short, I recommend it.
Just finished The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow. Really rather beautiful. The cover and the words contained within it.
I just finished Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin from the Forward Collection. It was great, hilarious and hopeful.
is still reading "Odd Billy Todd" Iim calling a Rural guide to the apocalypse sans zombies. Having to make due with cannibals and lots of shooty things. Preppers should enjoy this book.
Almost finished with YA novel Sorcery of Thorns. Sentient grimoires, warrior librarians and sorcerer duels? What’s not to love?!. Well...maybe the totally predictable and apparently mandatory romance that develops in most YA novels but that’s towards the end of the book so I don’t have to suffer through it for very long. :)
Thomas wrote: "A slight contrast from the previous novel I read, this time I have finished The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts. Not my highlight of 2019 I have to say, so I think..."I love this book but yeah, demanding is the right word.
I know I enjoyed the second and third books more but it's been 6-7 years since I read any of them and I can't in good conscience recommend them to people unless they definitely enjoy the writing style (dense) :)
was told that J D robb wrote a detective future series, just looking at the first book in the indeath series
I started The Curse of Chalion yesterday and I really enjoyed the way Lois McMaster Bujold is introducing that world to readers in the first few chapters.I'm also re-reading Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch as part of the BR for it that's starting today and it's a pleasure to come back to that.
Diane wrote: "Oh, Colleen, it's great that I'm not the only one who hasn't really started it yet."I can usually be counted on to be behind. :D
Kateb wrote: "was told that J D robb wrote a detective future series, just looking at the first book in the indeath series"If you enjoy that one, you're in luck, there's like 50 more of them after that. (one of my sister's fav series!)
I finished The Wise Man's Fear and Cage of Souls and I'm still contemplating why I perceived both so differently.The tone and structure of the narration is similar, both take it slowly in unfolding their story, both are written as reflexions of the mc.
Yet I could not connect to "the wise man's fear" and ended up in high speed listening to finish it. The interesting parts were so sparse in between meanderings that were nothing but tedious for me to follow. It didn't help that the 17 year old mc is apparently great at everything he does.
On the other hand, "Cage of souls" completely captured me with the masterful vision of a far future for humankind, Tchaikovsky's always fascinating view on evolution and a less than perfect narrator whose major achievement is to not be there when things get tough.
I think it's because The Wise Man's Fear is more a physical reading than an auditory listening to book (the French version works well in audio though). I love both of them for different reasons and for some reason I didn't feel the the MC in The Wise Man's Fear was good at everything, he had lots of failures along the way.
CBRetriever wrote: "I think it's because The Wise Man's Fear is more a physical reading than an auditory listening to book (the French version works well in audio though). I love both of them for differ..."I'm not sure it would have made a difference in eye reading, other than that it would have been easier to skip chapters. The narrator did a good job. I Just got bored by the recountings of all the stuff the mc could achieve and longed for more plot substance. For the fact that this was over 900 pages I don't know so much more about characters or story now than after the first book.
There were some good scenes, no question, but I would have loved for them to be more frequent.
Finished The Great Hunt, going straight into the next one today and also started a podcast about WoT I saw Tor.com tweet about (Everybody Hates Rand, it is very very funny) so I guess I'm just going all in lads.
Just finished "Hellbreaker" by James N. Cook. It was a good addition to the Series but was kind of short to be leaving me on a cliff hanger. Gnashtag: Zombies, desert, maurauders.
I haven't been reading as much lately. Still slowly plugging away though. I finished The Calculating Stars and The Testaments, both of which I loved. I DNF'ed The Book Charmer as it was just too sappy for me.
Currently reading:
Gideon the Ninth. This is the fun read that I need right now for my brain which has been feeling kind of fried lately.
Circe. This appeals to my degree in Classics. Greek mythology plus female retelling? I will always be there.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate. Not too far in this as it's my at the desk read at work, but I expect awesome things from Becky Chambers.
Misery. I am trying Stephen King. Again. I just don't think we're compatible though. I find him awkward and not scary. The start with the comparison of CPR to rape is not convincing me that this book is going to be any different. :\
nearly finished with "Best Served Cold" by Joe Abercrombie.... I feel like I've been through a War! This novel is BRUTAL. BUTT!!! (the big but) The show I'm hoping to see one day is "The Adventures of Nicamo Cosca". I think YouKneeK said "Costca steals every scene" and it's true.
Don wrote: "I think YouKneeK said "Costca steals every scene" and it's true."Haha, that was Silvana, but I agree with both of you!
Finished the Emelan novel Tris’s Book. Debating whether to continue with the series because it really is very middle-grader-ish. Decided to take a quick break from sci-fi/fantasy with the thriller Never Have I Ever. Described as a “diabolically entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation and love that explores what happens when the transgressions of our past come back with a vengeance.”
Gabi wrote: "I finished The Wise Man's Fear [...] It didn't help that the 17 year old mc is apparently great at everything he does."One of my favorite review sites (unfortunately now defunct) posted an in-depth review of Wise Man's Fear where the gist was that Name of the Wind was good because (view spoiler) and WMF just flat-out says (view spoiler) It's made me not want to bother, since that possible diversion in interpretation was the most interesting aspect of NotW for me. WMF's being 4500 pages long is another disincentive.
I just finished a Doctor Who novel written by Tom Baker, kind of disappointing. I am working my way through The City's Son by Tom Pollock, which is entertaining. But the big thing is I got a call from my library and the copy of All Systems Red is in!
Jim, I only heard of that novel by Tom Baker for the first time earlier today. It was in an Amazon recommendations email. I was skeptical when I found out it was co written by another writer, meaning it might only be based on something Baker wrote, as they do a lot with new novels based on screenplays and plays. I usually stay away from those.
Why is it that either nothing on my hold list is available or everything on it is available at once at my library? 4 books arrived today and of course my library card is in a jacket at home so I can’t go pick ‘em up until tomorrow. Hopefully nothing else arrives overnight or I’m gonna need a wagon. :)
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