SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge
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Circadian Reading Challenge
finished:UTC 3 = Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol - born in Ukraine and the book is set in Ukraine
this book was so antisemitic it was hard to read. Almost every mention of a Jew is derogatory
Authors: -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6
Settings: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6
finishedUTC 4 Arabian Tales: Short Stories from the Arabian Gulf edited by Paul McIvor - stories from those born in Arabia
UTC -2 Death at the Water's Edge by Miriam Winthrop - family was from Azores
Authors: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6
Settings: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6
finished another oneUTC 9 The Moonflower by Phyllis A. Whitney - born in Japan and the book was set in Japan
this book had been, along with several others by Phyllis Whitney, in my TBR pile for a long time. It deals with a mystery (gothic) set in the aftermath of the atom bombs being dropped on Japan. It's obvious that Whitney loves Japan and she does a good job of describing different parts of the country.
Authors: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6, 9
Settings: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6, 9
I seem to be concentrating on this challenge and not the others, but I finished another one:UTC 10
not the best book but it was a bit difficult to find a SF&F set in Australia (lots of authors, but not much as far as settings go
Authors: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6, 9
Settings: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6, 9, 10
CBR, I read 18/24 for this challenge in January XD My brain seems to work this way, once I start something, I keep going until I hit a snag. The snag I hit was that the next books I want to read are from Scribd, and I didn't want to start Scribd at that time. I'll probably get it in a couple of weeks and most likely finish this challenge in March. That's the plan anyway. And then I'll finish TBRC except for the new releases, and then spend the rest of the year not reading backlist group books, so that I can moan and groan about it all over group for months, and then force myself to read 20 old group reads in December.
and anotherUTC -5 Havana Red by Leonardo Padura - born in Cuba and the book is set in Cuba
interesting look at the LBGTQ culture in Cuba and a murder mystery
Authors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6, 9
Settings: -2, -.5, 6, -8, -9 and 3, 6, 9, 10
I started the year in a reading slump so I didn't want to load myself up with challenges that I couldn't finish. Once I realized that we can use short fiction and graphic novels for this challenge, I decided to give it a try after all. I'm going for author and bear since I do like plans and naps. My list is on my personal challenge page.If anyone is looking for authors from Oceania I found this book:
Black Marks on the White Page
And Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction is post apocalyptic stories from Native American and Canadian First Nations authors. The "love" mostly refers to family, tribal group, culture, and traditions.
Shortcuts: Track 1: Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories from Aotearoa New Zealand - has a lot of New Zealand authors/settings in the 6 novellas
Caillen, have you read Love Beyond Body, Space & Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology? Love After the End is the sequel to this. I haven’t read the second one yet so I don’t know if it reads standalone.It was free at one point on Kindle, but I’m in bed on my phone so too lazy to check the price now.
I haven't, unfortunately. I wanted to but Amazon says it's only paperback and out of print.
What a shame :( I wonder why they pulled the Kindle edition? Maybe there's a reprint coming?
finishedUTC 12/-12 Shortcuts: Track 1: Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories from Aotearoa New Zealand edited by Marie Hodgkinson
most of these stories were set in New Zealand. I quite liked this collection of 6 novellas,
Authors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6, 9
Settings: -2, -.5, 6, -8, -9 and 3, 6, 9, 10, 12
on to a mix of history, short stories and excerpts of novels: Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy. The book looks to be primarily older SF&F as well as a history/discussion of Russian SF&F. This will complete both legs of the UTC 11 time zone when I manage to finish it (it looks quite scholarly)
I started out as a Relaxed Dolphin & have moved to Author Bear. I made a list of my plans, but have been modifying weekly, so will see where I end up. I am definitely pulling from more than SF/FHere's what I've finished to date:
-10 A Promised Land by Barack Obama
-8 To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
-5 The Quantum Magician by Derek Kunsken
+1 The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle Suzanne de Villeneuve
+2 Solaris by Stanisław Lem
+3 The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
+7 In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages by Hella S. Haasse
+11 Machine Man by Max Barry
I have planned Dawnhouse for -11; Jade City for -7; The Raven and the Reindeer for -6; The Marrow Thieves for -4; Fever Dream for -3; The Pilgrimage for -2; Blindness for -1; Consider Phlebas for 0; Cassandra Clare for +4; Machinehood for +5; Night Watch for +6; The Bone Witch for +8; 1Q84 for +9; Sabriel for +10 and Daughter of the Forest for +12. I have -9 open still, but I am not committed to finishing all of these, so I'm not getting hung up on missing one at this point. (I'm bearish on completing this challenge on its entirety - ha!)
Looking for something covering Iraq (GMT +3)? Gilgamesh the King by Robert Silverberg is set in Mespotamia (modern name = Iraq)
As a setting? Frankenstein in Baghdad will have a buddy read at some point as it's on the Dozen Roses list.
Anna wrote: "As a setting? Frankenstein in Baghdad will have a buddy read at some point as it's on the Dozen Roses list."yes, as a setting. I've already done GMT +3 with Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol set in the Ukraine for both Setting and Author
I forgot to putUTC 10 Sabriel by Garth Nix - born in Australia in this thread
Authors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6, 9, 10
Settings: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6, 9, 10, 12
I'm going to give this a shot. I'm going primarily for settings I think, but only committing myself to Relaxed Mode (and likely filling in as I go).9/24 Completed:
UTC-11
UTC-10
UTC-9: The Raven's Gift (Native Alaskan author - set in Alaska)
UTC-8: There There (California/Indigenous Author)
UTC-4: The Galaxy Game (author is from Barbados)
UTC-3: Eartheater (Argentina)
UTC-2:
UTC-1: The Sagas of Icelanders (Iceland)
UTC+1: The Mercies (Finnmark, Norway)
UTC+4: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Iran)
UTC+5: River of Gods (India) or The City Inside (India)
UTC+6: The Abominable (Tibet)
UTC+7: The Windup Girl (Bangkok)
UTC+11:
UTC+12: Gideon the Ninth (author is from New Zealand)
Finished UTC 11 - Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy edited and written by Alexander Levitsky
this one took a while but I liked the Gogol stories and the one by Bulgakov ( I liked it better than The Master and Margarita )
Authors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11
Settings: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
and I'm adding another to Author and Settings listsUTC 0 = The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Authors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11
Settings: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 12 Authors and 12 Settings so I am now a Lion (hear me roar?)
finished UTC -12/12 = Beast Master's Circus by Andre Norton &Lyn McConchie - Lyn was born in New Zealand
I quite liked this one
Authors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 13 Authors and 12 Settings
You're doing great CBR! I still haven't read anything for this challenge since January, but it's OK :)
Finished a couple more last month - I'm up to 10 nowNight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (4 stars)
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (5 stars)
CBRetriever wrote: "finished UTC -12/12 = Beast Master's Circus by Andre Norton &Lyn McConchie - Lyn was born in New Zealand
I quite liked this one"
CBR, is this your first Norton? I know I read some of her books back a decade or three (!) ago, but she was so prolific, I'll never be able to remember which ones. ha! I vaguely recall thinking she was a bit dated, but...understandably.
I might request this since I can see from that awesome app that my library has it (thanks, Anna!)
Liane wrote: "CBR, is this your first Norton?"no, I've been reading them since I was a preteen back in the 60s. I did just finish reading Judith Tarr's series of articles about re-reading all the Norton Books, though and started a thread about it (no comments yet):
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
UTC 4 Alamut by Judith Tarr - set partly in IranAuthors: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -2, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 13 Authors and 13 Settings
Oh I totally understand. Books read at that time of life have a different pull on us. I’ll have to take some time to review those blog/reviews.
another fast read but good once i got used to the namesUTC -3 Seven Graves One Winter by Christoffer Petersen - the author lived in Greenland for 7 years and worked as a policeman and the book is set in Greenland with a policemen as the protagonist
I have another fast and interesting read going now:
UTC 5 The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan - born in India and the book is set in India
I think i will get more books by this author
Authors: -2, -3, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -2, -3, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 14 Authors and 14 Settings
these little 300 page mystery books are quick. I finishedUTC 5 The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan - born in India
the baby elephant made this book, especially when the main character was trying to tail someone with the elephant in tow
Authors: -2, -3, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -2, -3, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 15 Authors and 15 Settings
and another short quick mysteryUTC -1 The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir - author was born in Iceland and the book is set in Iceland
also Iceland should be in this Time Zone but uses GMT 0 instead
this was pretty good and went backwards and forwards in time
Authors: -1, -2, -3, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -1, -2, -3, -5, -6, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 16 Authors and 16 Settings
here's some help in finding books for the Pacific region:https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
111 New Books to Read for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Apologies if this resource has been posted already, but I thought this was neat:https://www.whichbook.net/world-map/
It's a world map and if you click on a region/country you want a book from it will pop up with a list. I'm not sure if the books are set there or the authors are from there or both, but they seem to have quite a catalogue.
Excellent! Several of the countries I've never read from and need help with have zero books :( but maybe I'll find something to add to my general read the world project. It's different from this challenge in that the timeline is my whole life :D I'll add the link to the first post!
Book Riot just sent me an email advertisement for: This All Come Back Now which is a speculative fiction anthology written exclusively by Aboriginal and Torres Islander writers. Thought I'd share here - I was struggling with some of those time zones across the Pacific with little land, figured this would be a good one to cover one of those.
Thanks, adding to TBR! I have Vā : Stories by Women of the Moana covering UTC+13 (UTC-11), it has "Cook Island, Chamorro, Erub Island (Torres Strait), Fijian, Hawaiian, Māori, Ni-Vanuatu, Papua New Guinean, Rotuman, Samoan and Tongan writers."
Ooh that one sounds good too Anna! Thanks for sharing!
I think it's on Scribd (in the US) if you still have that :)
Mod
https://medium.com/@troyonyango/readi...
I'm doing mysteries if I can't find SF&F to fit the challenge that I haven't already readfor South Africa (authors) and Botswana (setting), I'm reading A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (two authors) which does have witch doctors at least to add a supernatural bent
Thanks, that's great! I have a list of authors I've read in my lifetime (that I can remember), and looking at the map of where they're from, the continent of Africa is what stands out being (ironically) almost white, meaning I've read nothing from most of the countries. I have a long term goal of filling that map out a bit, but I'm not officially trying to read from every single country. (Yet.)
Finished A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley who are the writing partnership of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. http://michaelstanleybooks.com/about-...
The book is set in Botswana and does feature a magical witch doctor. I'm liking this series with Kubu
Finished Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Author is Mexican and book is set in Mexico for UTM -7. Didn't care for this one as I'm not a big fan of horrorAuthors: -1, -2, -3, -5, -6, , -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -1, -2, -3, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 17 Authors and 17 Settings
finished Barbados Heat by Don Bruns which is partially set in Barbados for UTM -4Authors: -1, -2, -3, -5, -6, , -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 17 Authors and 18 Settings
going on to the Author for that country: Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord who is from Barbados. The book is set in Senegal though.
finished Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord who is from Barbados for UTM -4Authors: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, , -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 18 Authors and 18 Settings
going on to Author/Setting for UTM 7 for The Bird Catcher by S.P. Somtow which is set in Thailand by a Thai author
and I just finished the novella and short story inUTM 7 for The Bird Catcher by S.P. Somtow which is set in Thailand by a Thai author. It was a very quick read and more of a horror collection than a fantasy collection.
Authors: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, , -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 19 Authors and 19 Settings
and I managed to finish another oneTelesa: The Covenant Keeper by Lani Wendt Young - born in Samoa and the book is set in Samoa as well = UTC -11
Authors: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, , -7, -8, -9, -11 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12
Settings: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9, -11 and 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12
for 20 Authors and 20 Settings
this one was very, very, very YA Paranormal Romance complete with excitable/rebellious teenage girl and a love triangle. Really not my cup of tea.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
A Primer on Organizational Behavior (other topics)Tower of Thorns (other topics)
Mexican Gothic (other topics)
Damnation Alley (other topics)
Jade City (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Fonda Lee (other topics)Ken Liu (other topics)
Xueting C. Ni (other topics)
Ken Liu (other topics)
Oliver Pötzsch (other topics)
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Authors: -6, -8, -9 and 6
Settings: -2, -6, -8, -9 and 6
ETA: this novella was excellent and funny