The Sword and Laser discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What else are you reading - July 2020
I am currently enjoying Escape Pod - a short story podcast. One of my faves: https://escapepod.org/2019/03/14/esca... The one I'm listening right now is The Great Scientist Rivalry on Planet Sourdough by Beth Goder (originally published here https://curiousfictions.com/stories/2...) but I recommend the full cast recording here: https://www.mixcloud.com/escapepod/es...I love short fics in audio and glad some semiprozines have that option too.
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "
My reviews used to be longer, but something is better than nothing."
I agree. I forget book details as soon as I move on to the next so I need to write them asap, if only just a sentence.
Edited to add:
Finally finished Black Leopard, Red Wolf. I really liked it! So rich and so many feels. Can't wait for the next book.
Read the short story collection Perchance to Dream by Charles Beaumont. Beaumont was a Twilight Zone writer and a member of Ray Bradbury's writing circle. Bradbury wrote an intro. That's enough by itself to get me to read a book.I enjoyed the stories okay, but they weren't great. It was like reading Bradbury light, where the stories fell just short of his greatness, leaving me saying "nice" instead of the "ooooh" of my usual reaction to Bradbury.
I felt I'd read one of the stories before but don't know how. The story of the old cruise ship was so familiar I wondered where I would have read it and still can't come up with it. Made me wonder if both Bradbury and Beaumont did versions. Bradbury's writing circle, so the intro went, would meet and hash out stories for fun, then pick one of their members to write it, so it's plausible that they each did a version. Also, the one with the vampire talking to the psychiatrist seems to use the same premise and intro as Bradbury's story about the zombie talking to the doctor and being observably dead.
The collection was enjoyable enough, but not the transfixing wonder that was promised.
Just finished Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward. Wow, this is the hardest of the hard science fiction books I have ever read. He out-Niven's Niven. I found this story of an alien life form/species living on the surface of a neutron star to be really intriguing. It's the type of science fiction that got me interested in science all those years ago.
Phil wrote: "Just finished Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward. Wow, this is the hardest of the hard science fiction books I have ever read. He out-Niven's Niven. I found this story of an alien life..."I love that book. So good.
^ I've seen it recommended before but have never read it. It's in LA Public Library. Tagged for later, after the Dune run and Peace Talks.
Finished Jack, the Giant Killer, read its sequel, Drink Down the Moon in pretty much one sitting (it's short) and started another book I've not read in decades, Roger Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand, newly available in eBook format.
I woke up this morning to a notification on my phone telling me that my preorder of The Relentless Moon was ready to download and listen to 😊
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I'd be listening to that as well, except I also got Peace Talks today too. And I've been waiting far longer for that one.
I finished One Word Kill in audio and am back to trying to finish the last 6 hours of Shorefall.I've been reading A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker which won the Nebula. I'm about 40% in and it's fine, but it's yet another pandemic affected world and I'm just so tired of it.
I started reading How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin. I know I didn't like her most recent novel but in general I'm a fan. I think I may need to reread Le Guin's Omelas story though because apparently the first story is a response to that and I don't remember the Omelas... I think I walked away from them... har har....
Rob wrote: "Ruth wrote: "I woke up this morning to a notification on my phone telling me that my preorder of The Relentless Moon was ready to download and listen to 😊"I'd be listening to that as well, except I also got Peace Talks today too. And I've been waiting far longer for that one ..."
You have two ears. Multitask!
Trike wrote: "You have two ears. Multitask!"This sounds like a terrible idea.
Sound can also be transmitted through bone conduction so you're not limited to two ears. You can listen to three or more audiobooks at once!
While reading one additional physical book per eye!And if you learn Braille, that's at least two more books!
AndrewP wrote: "Currently continuing my re-read of Julian May's Saga of Pliocene Exiles with The Non Born King"Whoa it's been decades since I read some of those. How do they hold up?
Ruth wrote: "I woke up this morning to a notification on my phone telling me that my preorder of The Relentless Moon was ready to download and listen to 😊"Me too! It's up next after my mystery/thriller book (Muzzled).
Rick wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Currently continuing my re-read of Julian May's Saga of Pliocene Exiles with The Non Born King"Whoa it's been decades since I read some of those. How do they hold up?"
Surprisingly well in my opinion. They still have me reaching for the dictionary quite frequently as May uses many uncommon and obscure words.
Finished Doorways in the Sand (it was short and fast) and started Byzantium, a massive historical novel by Michael Ennis. This one will take a while.
I finished two collections by Charles Beaumont, one of the writers behind the scenes of the original Twilight Zone TV series: 
Perchance to Dream by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Howling Man by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading another Beaumont collection (there is a lot of overlap between his collections, so I have already read many of the stories):
The Hunger: And Other Stories by Charles Beaumont
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It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since the Dresden book. No spoilers as it's book 16 in the series, but is has the usual Harry snark and fast-paced action sequences that made me fall in love with this series while building on the plot arc in a way that has me glad Battle Ground comes out in October.
★★★★★ - My Review
Finished reading Planetfall by Emma Newman. Some interesting world building, although the pacing was a bit off. (L-o-o-o-ng setup, rushed finish.) Was told that I could skip this book, since the following books are not direct sequels, but couldn't bring myself to start on a book number 2 or 3! Anyway the series as a whole comes quite highly recommended, so will pick up the next one soon-ish.
Got on a Vlad Taltos kick and re-read a couple (Taltos, Dzur and Iorich) and read a couple of the newer ones I'd not yet read. I want to finish the outstanding books sometime this year just because. Reading Peace Talks now. It's... fine. (I'm 40% in). It's a little formulaic right now, but with some things that could develop in interesting ways.
Rick wrote: "Got on a Vlad Taltos kick and re-read a couple (Taltos, Dzur and Iorich) and read a couple of the newer ones I'd not yet read. I want to finish the outstanding books sometime this year just because..."Vlad Taltos is another on my extremely long list of series I need to reread/catch up with.
Finished with The Relentless Moon. The best book so far in the series.Starting Upright Women Wanted.
Read Dune Messiah as part of my current attempt to give the six Frank Herbert books a fair shot. I read Dune several times, loved it. Read the rest of the first trilogy decades back and didn't like them. Thought I'd give another try since there's now a movie coming out.Well, Dune was great, as remembered. I know I read Dune Messiah but have no memory of the plot. On reread I can see why. I can't say I hated it, that would require me to actually care about the characters or plot. Instead I found it a puzzling extension of the first book, with none of the characters acting like they did in Dune. It read like bad fan fiction, angst-filled characters bemoaning their fates.
(view spoiler)
Ruth wrote: "Just finished The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. My thoughts:Scalzi is always fun to read, although I think I enjoy his work with a more contemporary-ish setting ..."
I also read this recently and felt the same way. It was interesting, but I didn't really feel attached to any of the characters.
I just finished Dune earlier today and am starting on Severance by Ling Ma. I've been watching way too much TV lately, so trying to get back into a reading mood.
Sheila Jean wrote: "...I've been reading A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker which won the Nebula. I'm about 40% in and it's fine, but it's yet another pandemic affected world and I'm just so tired of it.I unexpectedly finished A Song for a New Day last night. I figured it was going back to the library unfinished, and then I hit Part III and stayed up an extra 2 hours to finish.
I finished (original Twilight Zone writer) Charles Beaumont's earliest short story collection - it was good but didn't contain much of his best work:
The Hunger: And Other Stories by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Night Ride And Other Journeys by Charles Beaumont
There is a lot of overlap in Beaumont's various short story collections so I have already read many of these stories.
Sheila Jean wrote: "...I've been reading A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker which won the Nebula. I'm about 40% in and it's fine, but it's yet another pandemic affected world and I'm just so tir..."I started it recently, about a quarter of the way in, and very similar feelings. It is a pretty easy read otherwise, compared to Black Leopard, Red Wolf (just finished).
It sounds like it really took off for you in the back half. I look forward to getting there.
finished with Upright Women Wanted. disappointing worldbuilding.halfway through The Shadow of Kyoshi. back to Avatar world, squeee!
After Hawk I thought I'd read the next in the series but of course Brust is messing with us and Vallista is set before Hawk.
Started Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron, which is kind of my alt-pick read for July - it’s an epic fantasy with an African setting. The goodreads reviews suggest that it gets pretty dark but I’m prepared to bet it’s not nearly as dark as BLRW.
I finished Peace Talks and found it very satisfying . An hour left in the audio of Black Leopard, Red Wolf . Then on to The City in the Middle of the Night to finish the Hugo Best Novel Finalist.
I’m reading Parable of the Sower and A Memory Called Empire. I just finished P Djeli Clark’s The Black God’s Drums, which was a delightful novella.
Silvana wrote: "Finished with The Relentless Moon. The best book so far in the series.Starting Upright Women Wanted."
I need to continue this series! Might start the Fated Sky soon.
Finished with the audio The Wee Free Men. Stephen Briggs' narration is so delightful! The Shadow of Kyoshi was another fantastic entry in the Avatar world canon. I think the TV fans should read these novels.
I'm still in the Asian fantasy mode, so I'm starting The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water.
Erik wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Finished with The Relentless Moon. The best book so far in the series.
Starting Upright Women Wanted."
I need to continue this series! Might start ..."
I think the series get better in every book.
I finished another excellent short story collection by one of the writers behind many of the finest episodes of the original Twilight Zone TV series:
Night Ride And Other Journeys by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading another Beaumont collection:
Yonder by Charles Beaumont
Because of the overlap of stories in Beaumont's various collections, I have already read many of the stories in this book.
Trike wrote: "These followed me home yesterday.https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9AeRoBh..."
Oh the new O'Keefe is out, eh? Liked Velocity Weapon a lot, I'll need to grab that.
Trike wrote: "These followed me home yesterday.https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9AeRoBh..."
Yum, that Saga hardcover. 🤤
Silvana wrote: "Finished with the audio The Wee Free Men. Stephen Briggs' narration is so delightful!Agreed. Great audiobook.
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The Sword and Laser
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I just felt she used up all her writing energy in the worldbuilding and in the end there wasn't really a story per se. (And I listened to the audio so it took a while to get to the disappointing end.) I've heard from many people that they hate the stereotypes... I've never been to New York so can't really weigh in. ;)
Silvana wrote: "I am also in the no-energy-to-write-a-review club."
My strategy is to put initial thoughts in a quick Instagram review upon finishing, and I mark the book as only 99% read in Goodreads so I both have a marker for the day I finished it but also won't forget to review it. Then once a week or so I go to Goodreads (I also fill out a reading log because I'm terrified GR will disappear or delete data) and copy the review from Instagram and if by that point I don't have more to say, I just leave it there.
My reviews used to be longer, but something is better than nothing.