What are you Reading right now? Part 2.

[Audrey]

Teresa wrote: "Hellspark is great! We read that one already, so we have a discussion thread for it if you are interested."

Thanks for letting me know. If the rest of the book is as good as the first few chapters, this is going to be a new favorite.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Found the discussion thread for Hellspark
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Shady Oaks by Jerry Boyd was fun, although it just sort of stopped. Not a cliffhanger but not any kind of real stopping place in the series. I assume there will be a fourth in the series in a few months.

I’ve been rereading a fantasy series but oh look what just came out: the eARC of Accepting the Lance by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Available for sale only on Baen right now. Hardback and cheaper ebook will be out Dec 3rd, everywhere. This is the latest Liaden Universe book. I’m going to TRY to wait until Friday afternoon to start it, because I bet that I’ll be losing some sleep once I get into it.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Accepting the Lance by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller was quite good, as an eARC from Baen. It will be out in hardback and ebook (cheaper than eARC) on December 3rd from all the normal vendors.

[Chong]

I started the sequel to Medusa Uploaded , (which might be a good book-of-the-month selection later) but I had to go back and restart Medusa Uploaded to figure out what's going on. It's a good story, but just too complex for me to jump into the sequel after having a year pass.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I reread A Liaden Universe Constellation: Volume I by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, for our Reader Pick this month. Several of the stories are well worth rereading.

Now I’m in the midst of To Be Taught, If Fortunate Becky Chambers which was just released today. Readable but I’m not liking it nearly as much as her first book, so far. Better than her third which I gave up on.

Edit: Finished. Gave it three stars. My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Trike]

I also read To Be Taught, If Fortunate and also gave it 3 stars, but the more I think about it the less I like it. Might downgrade it to 2.

Started the short story collection Mission: Critical, which is all about space stuff that goes wrong, a la The Martian or Apollo 13. The first four stories are okay but nothing special.

I read the YA graphic novel Quantum Mechanics, which is a lot of fun. Being YA (or perhaps even Middle Grade), there’s conflict and adventure but not much violence and nastiness. It’s definitely a Space Opera story, so it suits the group.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’ve been off rereading a fantasy series (all ten books!) but finally finished. Coming back to space opera with Hard Bargain by Blaze Ward. This is the sequel to Longshot Hypothesis which I liked very much. Hard Bargain was just published on September 10th, and the third book is due out October 10th, last I heard.

[C. John]

Recently finished Peril on the Ice Planet, part of the Perry Rhodan series. Iave two books going but one of them, The Spirituality of Wine by Tom Harpur is not science fiction. The other is Ray Cumming's Beyond the Stars, which is SF but not sure it's Space Opera.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Hard Bargain by Blaze Ward was good although not quite as much as the first of the series. I’m preordering the third.

Currently rereading Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker. Lots of different types of aliens. My math background wants to nit pick about the impossibility of covering all but the polar regions and equator of a sphere with regular hexagons. The author clearly learned geography on a Mercator projection map and not on a globe. It’s a good yarn though.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished Midnight at the Well of Souls a day or two after my previous comment. I’ve been reading (mostly rereading) fantasy since, until this evening. Now I’m reading Starfoot by Jerry Boyd which is the latest in the series that starts with Bob's Saucer Repair, and just published this week.

In the near future I will start my reread of Hospital Station by James White, for the October group read.

[Brandon]

I don't think they are on any planets, but I'm reading Star Trek: Synthesis from the Titan series. If you love aliens and AI, you should give this one a look.

[Chong]

I'm about a third of the way into and am really impressed. Very good story telling.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I have recently read
Hospital Station by James White for the October Reader Pick
Ascending by Margaret Pechenick because of Chong’s comment above (thanks Chong!)
Bright Shards by Margaret Pechenick sequel to Ascending which I greatly enjoyed. I’m looking forward to the third in the series, whenever it is available.

[Chong]

Isn't the "Ascending" series impressive? I was a little bit worried about the second book, because I've been burned by a number of series by new authors, where the author does a great job with the first book, but it seems like that was almost by accident, and they don't have the skills to follow it up. But not this one. Just as solid as the first one.

The only disappointment I had was discovering that the second book had just come out in August, meaning the third book won't likely be out any time soon!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Agreed on Ascending. Stayed up much too late reading it...

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Reread The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz - an old favorite.

Currently reading the latest book in the series starting with The Silver Ships: Alliance by S.H. Jucha. This is book 14 for Silver Ships but also includes characters who are descendants of people from his other series, that starts with Empaths. Alliance was released in late September, but Amazon was slow at letting me know it was out.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I enjoyed Alliance, then reread The Wizard of Karres which is a sequel to The Witches of Karres but not by the same author.

I’m currently reading a new book just out today: Outermost by Blaze Ward. This is the third book in the series that starts with Longshot Hypothesis which was very good.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Outermost was readable but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book in the series.

Reread The Sorceress of Karres which also was readable but not nearly as good as The Witches of Karres (and not by the same author either).

Not sure what I’ll be reading next.

[Audrey]

I am about half way through Imperium Defiant by Glynn Stewart

[S.N.]

I'm reading Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky at the moment. It's pretty good, but I'm not sure I like the human characters yet. I kind of find the spider civilization more captivating haha

[Trike]

I’ve been reading a lot of Fantasy lately but have managed some SF.

Way Station by Simak was quite good, especially for a 1963 story. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Emily Eternal was genuinely terrible. If you enjoy reviews that rip books apart, here’s one for you: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I also read and enjoyed the sequel to Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time, Children of Ruin, which brings uplifted octopuses into the series. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Steel: And Other Stories by the great Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, Incredible Shrinking Man) is a story collection that’s kind of a mixed bag but overall solid. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I also read the 3-volume graphic novel Skyward, which is about the Earth’s gravity becoming almost non-existent. I was skeptical of the premise, but the writer really leans into it and fully develops the concept with all of its consequences. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Skyward, Vol. 1: My Low-G Life — https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Skyward, Vol. 2: Here There Be Dragonflies — https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Skyward, Vol. 3: Fix the World — https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[MadProfessah]

S.N. That’s one of the things that makes CHILDREN OF TIME so exhilarating— one roots for the spiders! (atleast I did!)

[S.N.]

MadProfessah wrote: "S.N. That’s one of the things that makes CHILDREN OF TIME so exhilarating— one roots for the spiders! (atleast I did!)"

Ahh, I was beginning to get that feeling. Glad that I'm not in the wrong on this one!

[C. John]

Trike wrote: "I’ve been reading a lot of Fantasy lately but have managed some SF.

Way Station by Simak was quite good, especially for a 1963 story. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

If a book deserves to be ripped apart then so be it. I did that to Crawford's Encyclopedia of Comics. The author's (lack of) knowledge of the history of comics was truly amazing

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

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Way Station was a lot better (to my own taste anyway) the first few times I read it, decades ago. It’s readable now but not something I’ll reread regularly.

I’ve been reading fantasy for the last week or so, but yesterday I started rereading Linesman by S.K. Dunstall. This series is one that I do reread every year or two. It’s strange how much it sucks me in when I still recall most of the plot points.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Rereading Linesman was great. Reread the sequel Alliance by S.K. Dunstall which was almost as good. I have the third book on standby, and am currently reading a newly published book Charlie's Planet by Jerry Boyd, which is fifth in the series starting with Bob's Saucer Repair. It’s a light hearted series, not to be taken seriously, and it suits my sense of humor.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Charlie’s Planet was fun, at least for my sense of humor.

Now I’m rereading The Sculpted Ship by K.M. O'Brien and trying to wait to reread The Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase until November, for the group read.

[Gilles]

I just finished Seeker by Jack McDevitt, Average and disapointing.

[Trike]

Just hit the halfway point in Velocity Weapon and holy shizznit this book is awesome. I am absolutely loving it. 🚀

[Audrey]

I just finished Armada by Ernest Cline. While I mostly grew up in the right time period to be considered target audience, maybe too much so. this was too close to The Last Starfighter for me to separate them in my mind while reading. plus, I never felt any connection with any of the characters.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Sculpted Ship is still worth rereading, but likely not regularly because several scenes are spoiled if I remember too many details.

Currently rereading Metal Boxes by Alan Black. It starts a series that is readable but only if I’m in the right mood. Main character is 16yo male Navy midshipman who grew up on spaceships. Most of the Navy grew up on planets or at least visited them while growing up. Besides not understanding dogs and having severe agoraphobia, he stumbles on sabotage and a conspiracy.

[Trike]

As I sit here waiting for the 3 trick-or-treaters to show up, I finished Velocity Weapon by Megan O’Keefe, a kinetic and cool Space Opera. It has so much neato-keen stuff in it: space battles, sentient spaceships, rough-and-tumble politics, secret societies, a hint of ancient aliens, smart and capable protagonists doing awesome space things... I was sure this was going to be a 5-star book. But then it just ends, leaving all of the multiple threads unfinished, which is completely unsatisfying. I’ll come back to it in 6 years when she finishes the tale.

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

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Gah, how frustrating!

[MadProfessah]

Uh-oh.... Im 20% in to VELOCITY WEAPON right now...

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’m on the third book in the Metal Boxes series by Alan Black. As usual rereading the first means binging the rest. Lots of action, aliens, etc.

[Audrey]

Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I finished my reread of the Metal Boxes series (4 books) and now I’m rereading the series that starts with The Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase, for our group read.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished rereading the trilogy that starts with Scent of Metal. Enjoyed it very much. Currently reading a new fantasy book recently published.

[Trike]

Teresa wrote: "Finished rereading the trilogy that starts with Scent of Metal. Enjoyed it very much. Currently reading a new fantasy book recently published."

You reread more than anyone I know. I keep wanting to reread books but the allure of new stuff keeps calling to me.

That said, I’m going to do a “Hindsight 2020” next year, where I revisit some old favorites.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Rereading helps keep my expenses within budget ;) I do have a full time job and play games on my iPad, but I don’t watch movies or TV, and my kids are grown and flown, so I have a lot of time to read.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Currently rereading The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet by Mackey Chandler. This is the sequel to Family Law, but is more of a space exploration book (with multiple kinds of aliens). Family Law was more about dealing with hidebound officials and prejudice against aliens.

[Lizzie]

Between Verizon and Amazon offers, I just scarfed up 5 months free Kindle Unlimited. So I have read 5 books by 4 authors in the past week. Only 1 of them was "new" to me - Cameron Cooper.

I really liked the 1st book in the Indigo Report series. . Characters, world building, plot, heroines, androids, spaceships, politics, social issues. It has all the things I like best in a sci-fi book. After reading it, I learned it is a pen name for a woman who is a best selling romance author. I am glad I didn't know that in advance because I don't read romance novels and might have missed out on a really good sci fi book/series.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Enjoyed my reread of The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet and its sequel Secrets in the Stars. Now I’m on book 4 of the series, which has little or no exploration and new aliens, but instead more politics. A Hop, Skip and a Jump.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Enjoyed my reread of A Hop, Skip and a Jump. Currently rereading the latest in that series Friends in the Stars by Mackey Chandler. The scene in the storage locker building is hilarious.

[Trike]

An end of the year Best SFF list includes Chilling Effect which they call a “snarky and snappy Space Opera.” Space pirates and psychic cats abound, apparently. I haven’t read it (this is the first I’ve heard of it), but it sounds like it fits the group.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Currently rereading Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein. Been a long time since I last reread it. There’s some dated technology, but what really jars are the prices quoted. 35 cents for a soda fountain drink in a drugstore? $500 covering a semester of college tuition?

[L J]

Teresa wrote: "Currently rereading Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein. Been a long time since I last reread it. There’s some ..."

Some of those things are jarring as are the mentions of tobacco use but I disliked the "updated" versions I read. Not only do I prefer to read what the author wrote, the edits tend to be obvious as the offending word, phrase or info is removed and not skillfully replaced.

[Betsy]

There are "updated" versions of Heinlein??!!!!?? How dare they?

[L J]

I don't know about Heinlein but I have read a number of others including some sf. I remember a James Schmitz but can't remember who else. Mostly I started them, realized what they were and quit but I read the Schmitz.