SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
What Else Are You Reading?
>
What Else Are You Reading in 2021?
Lucian wrote: "Jonathan Strange is my favorite book of all time. I had the belief that there would be a surprise sequel released. In the end, maybe it's better that the book stands alone."Have you read The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories? I haven't read it yet but look forward to getting to it.
Gabi wrote: "non space I read The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam"If you can get the audiobooks, it's a real treat to hear the hippie songs performed.
Lost Planet Airman wrote: "Colin wrote: "...The second person POV is interesting and very different. I can't think of another novel using it. ..."Off the top of my head, there is Robert Silverberg, Dying Inside (1972) and "Sundance"; N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season; and Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus."
Ann Leckie's The Raven Tower is another.
The first time I read a book in 2nd person was in junior high, a YA book where that narration put you in the shoes of a girl who'd been abducted. Unfortunately I don't remember either the title or the author.
I really enjoyed The Witness for the Dead.I’ve started The Way Some People Die, an early (1951) Lew Archer detective novel by Ross Macdonald. Gangsters and others in mid-century Los Angeles. Apparently I read this in 2007, but so far I’m not remembering anything specific. It’s not in the author’s later manner at all.
Lucian, I would ask that you talk about Jonathan Strange a little bit. What you enjoyed about it, what makes it original. I tried reading it and maybe I'm missing something. because I was again considering recently reading it.
Is Becky Chambers the Ultimate Hope for Science Fiction?Her gentle, heartwarming stories seek to soothe our troubled souls. They also aim to blow up the entire genre.
An excerpt from a article in "Wired Magazine".
Well, I have put off readiing Hail Mary because I felt I would be disappointed due to all the hype about it. I have had it in my library pile for some time and I finally started it last night. WOW. It lives up to all the good reviews. I am surprised that I am caught up in it with a different story that is not what I expected. This SciFi is something new and exciting and I can't wait to get back to it tonight. Breathless.
Mod
Allison wrote: "PHM is so so good! glad you're enjoying it!"I'm glad to see these recommendations for PHM. I bought it and put it on my TBR because I loved The Martian. I've been hesitant , though, because Artemis was a disappointment. Now, I'm going to clear some room and get into it. Thank you!
*flails in the background for the Hail Mary hype*Love to see the love <3
my review of "There Would Always Be a Fairy-Tale": Essays on Tolkien's Middle-Earth is up:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Last night I finished Age of War, which was excellent but had me blubbering like a baby. After that fiasco, I started reading Wounds of Honour, which deals with the Roman/Briton/Hadrian's Wall strife.
The Wizards Butler
This book doesn't have nearly the pacing that some other Fantasy works have. It is very well-paced, but the action is low-key. You could almost say laid back in places. Still, the book draws you in and weaves the world around you with slow and well-paced tale-telling. This is an amazing book since the story is all and the conflict is there, but not the main focus of the story. It is always there and the reader is reminded of it but it is never an in-your-face thing until the very end. A Masterwork, I am looking forward to more in this series.
Shortstack
A series of short stories with a humorous leaning. Some of them are better than others, but it has to be said that the retelling of Genisis by guests of a Mental Institution in New York is well worth the price of admission.
Dj wrote: "The Wizards Butler... A Masterwork, I am looking forward to more in this series..."He's currently working on finishing up a first draft of the next book in the series: The Wizard's Cat.
Raucous wrote: "Dj wrote: "The Wizards Butler... A Masterwork, I am looking forward to more in this series..."He's currently working on finishing up a first draft of the next book in the series: The Wizard's Cat."
Well in the immortal words of Inigo: 'I hate waiting.'
LOL
I am also looking forward to "The wizard's butler" next installment.
DJ, I read "The Wizard's Butler" and liked the story. I'm curious about what set the story apart for you. For me, while the story was complete it felt like a slow build of a bigger story to come. I rated it near Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" book 1.
Don wrote: "DJ, I read "The Wizard's Butler" and liked the story. I'm curious about what set the story apart for you. For me, while the story was complete it felt like a slow build of a bigger story to come. I..."I liked the fact that there was minimal action required to make the story flow. It wasn't a thrill ride, it was just good old-fashioned storytelling. Each piece fits together to build the whole. At first, the main character is willing to play along, not because he believes but because it is money in his pocket. So the slow build, the lack of in-your-face proof (things blowing up and the like) make for a much more interesting story than it could have been.
Full Marks for the Author on this one. I am not sure what their other work is like but this was a master piece of story telling.
OK I'm intrigued and gonna try The Wizard's Butler. It's on KU too :)
I know, Jan! I added it to my growing list as well.
I'm reading Ilona Andrews' Magic Strikes, 3rd book in my favourite urban fantasy series. It's an extremely quick read, and a nice way to cleanse my palate before moving on to Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, which will probably have less comic relief.
I enjoyed my reread of The Way Some People Die a lot, so much so that I went right on to Macdonald’s next book, The Ivory Grin. It’s also very good. My sff reading the past few days has been short stories.
This one did not fall to middle book syndrome.My review of Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
just finished doomsday book by Connie Willis (part of my read as many hugo award winners in a year), now, on to Kate Wilhelm's Where late the sweet birds sang. A little bit of a slow start, I wanted to argue with her right off the bat (first cousin love? wtf? a cousin fight that tore clothes? did she grow up a single child? I know if I fought with my siblings and ripped clothes, I'd get a real spanking, and would never do that again (fight siblings yes, rip clothes no)... After that, then off to read This Immortal by Roger Zelazny.
working on Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children Series which was part of a Humble Bundle I purchased. This isn't something I would have purchased on my own for me. It's very YA, especially Beneath the Sugar Sky and not my cup of tea at all. However, they're nice and short and will put a small dent in my TBR pile.
Finished reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. I am reading The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie. I plan to read The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold next.
Marc Towersap, The most interesting thing about "The Immortal" is that it has half of "Dune's" Hugo award from 1965 and it needs to return it to it's rightful owner.
An annual Pearl S Buck novel. This one is The Empress. Also, some things in my genre.
I read a great novel featuring Hadrian's Wall, called Wounds of Honour. It was more about the terrific characters than the action. Fairly light in tone, which is not often the case with historical fiction in this time period, (under Emperor Comodus). I liked it so much that I immediately started the sequel, Arrows of Fury.
I tried many years ago to read Dune, I always got to like page 120, and realize, I didn't absorb a single thing... since they apparently were published the same year (both winning the hugo in 1966 (a tie)), I'll have to compare the two! wonder if it's like 2 volcano movies filmed around the same time (dante's peak and that bad La brea tar pit volcano movie) or asteroid movie (armageddon vs deep impact)...
Finished "Harrow The Ninth". I am not entirely sure what I think. It may take a while to digest. Complex and multi-layered, that's for sure, with plenty of open issues for resolution in the next book. (Or now two books?) The prose was a bit much in places, in particular, the usage of medical/anatomic terms, although that may be me reacting as a doc. The sensory descriptions could be over the top. I have to draw the line at: "...the crisp, faecal sweetness of a rose," in the description of a sword. Valentine's Day may never be the same.I will probably read the next one when it comes out, though.
Next book is looking like historical fiction, Sharon Penman's "Devil's Brood." I was very sad to hear of her death back in January. I have not read this one yet and now there will be no others.
Colin wrote: ""...the crisp, faecal sweetness of a rose," in the description of a sword. Valentine's Day may never be the same."What the...???? Oh dear. Ha ha ha.
Marc Towersap, by contemporary standards "Dune" pours a thick foundation.
"the crisp faecal sweetness of a rose" Never a cop when you need one!
Recently Read "Warrior's Ransom" and
"Lady's Ransom" by Jeffery Wheeler and enjoyed them both. The world of the King's Fountain is pretty vividly realized. I'm getting a King Arthur vibe out of it.
"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain you might never look at food the same way. very readable.
Reread of "Trustee from the Toolroom" by Nevil Shute. a feel-good favorite of mine, even though no one get shot or blown up.
"Lost and Found" by Orson Scott Card. not his finest but still has some merits. Micro Powers.
I loved Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly - I first read it when I was working in the Food industry and so much of it was correct. To this day, both because of my experiences and that book, I prefer recognizable pieces of meat and I will never eat bread pudding.
it was made with leftover bread that sat around on open racks where all sorts of things could land on it or crawl on it
I finished the
The Darkest Road, the final book of Guy Gavriel Kay's first trilogy. Five stars for the last book. You might struggle with Kay's writing in the first two books, but the ending is well worth the perseverance.
CBRetriever wrote: "it was made with leftover bread that sat around on open racks where all sorts of things could land on it or crawl on it"Oh. Eww.
if "Kitchen Confidential" is accurate then I'm guessing that's what Pirates turned to when that industry slowed down. I did enjoy the book
I read it, too, and it turned me away from any desire to be a chef.
The Joy of Erudition, was it the low pay, long hours, disfunctional co-workers or unpleasant work environment that turned you off?
Don wrote: "The Joy of Erudition, was it the low pay, long hours, dysfunctional co-workers or unpleasant work environment that turned you off?"I think it all combined -- those things, plus the vicious competition between restaurants and the back-alley deals they made to get their ingredients from the sources, and the descriptions of how dirty the kitchens were.
Michael wrote: "I've just started reading Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally. I have had it on my bookshelf for a while now and have finally started it."I read it earlier this year. It's a powerful read. I then read Searching for Schindler: A Memoir which tells the story of the making of the film. Fascinating. I like Keneally's writing style and plan to read more of his books.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Shadow Rising (other topics)Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (other topics)
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (other topics)
Leviathan Falls (other topics)
The Jekyl Island Club (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Brent Monahan (other topics)Stephen King (other topics)
James S.A. Corey (other topics)
Robin Hobb (other topics)
Susan Palwick (other topics)
More...
for
non space I read The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam, cause I didn't want to have such a long break between the books as I had between 1 and 2. It took me half of book 2 to get back into the story. All three books are more or less narrations of the same span of time shortly before the dystopian catastrophe, through it and a bit of the post apocalyptic living. Book 3 goes the furthest into the future. Every book has another emphasis, every one shines with sarcastic prose - the last the most. All in all I like this trilogy even better than the Handmaid books of the same author.
Robot/AI: The Integral Trees by Larry Niven - I thought from the blurb that it would be about an AI, but that one is only a minor side story. As always with Niven we have excellent, thoughtful worldbuilding with real alien worlds and living conditions - and horribly cringeworthy character writing. I never know what to do with his books ^^'.
Not for the SciFi bingo I re-listened to The Great Hunt, the second Wot book. This series fascinates me. I could smack Jordan so hard because of his childish 'who will marry him?' girl-shit-swooning-idiotic talk of half of the female characters over the completely uninteresting Chosen One. On the other hand, the female characters are really good (when they don't want to marry the dumb guy) and get my deeply invested in their fate so that I am looking forward to the next book (and prepare myself to mentally scream at the author from time to time).
Now I'm doubled excited for the screen adaptation.
Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis is from the Falco series, a Roman detective with great ambitions, but constantly down on his luck. I started this series with my boys, because it has a historically accurate recounting of the Roman time during Vespasian's reign and my older son turned out to be a devoted Latin fan. This volume now was a bit heavy on dragging romance stuff, but I hope I remember correctly from my time reading the series that the later books get better - once he gets the girl.