SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
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What Are You Reading 2015 Edition
i need to read about 7 more books to finish my challenge. I've slowly started reading The Eye of the World, listening to Clockwork Princess and listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well. I just got scribd so I've been downloading and deleting ebooks like mad. So many to choose from for only 8.99 a month.
Rob wrote: "I'm way behind on my reviews, in fact despite writing 5 today, I still have another 5 to write (hopefully next weekend). Anyways, here's the first batch:
The Man in the High Castle..."
The Fifth Season was one of my favorites this year, too.
I'm reading Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. It's my first Star Wars book in a while and I'm really loving it so far!
Tad wrote: "I'm reading Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. It's my first Star Wars book in a while and I'm really loving it so far!"Afterwards I'd recommend Lost Stars and Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company.
"Library at Mount Char" by Scott Hawkins. a very dark, amazing, original novel. Has anybody else read this book because I am floored by it. Something about the writing reminds of Stephen King... yes it is that good! But Dark.
Don wrote: ""Library at Mount Char" by Scott Hawkins. a very dark, amazing, original novel. Has anybody else read this book because I am floored by it. Something about the writing reminds of Stephen King... ye..."Loved this one, Don! I agree--it's very original and refreshing and just an overall great read. But yes, it's definitely not light on the violence and dark themes.
Currently reading:
I held off reading The Name of the Wind for awhile because I didn't think the description sounded like my cup of tea, but I'm extremely glad I decided to dive in--it's addicting and well-written.
Jaleenajo wrote: "Currently reading:[bookcov..."I have read three of the four you mentioned (Name of the Wins, Cuckoo's Calling and To Say Nothing Of The Dog) and those are all great.
I just finally got my copy og [book:Ancillary Mercy|23533039] but I;m saving it and am currently trying my first L.E. Modesitt, Jr book: Solar Express
Don wrote: ""Library at Mount Char" by Scott Hawkins. a very dark, amazing, original novel. Has anybody else read this book because I am floored by it. Something about the writing reminds of Stephen King... ye..."I've added it to my pile, Don.
Yes "The Library at Mount Char" and "Dark Orbit" look like future reads.
Just finished PERDIDO STREET STATION and almost died from lack of story and well formed characters. Like, let's all be bohemian hipsters but also most excellent.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finally finished Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord, which I didn't much care for, but did finish. Then this morning I read Outcast: Volume 1: A Darkness Surrounds Him by Robert Kirkman, which the rest of the series isn't for me, because I can't read everything. I'm now reading You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld, which isn't a graphic novel, but a book of very funny comic strips.
Round 2 of my big review catch up. I'm finally caught up (7 reviews later; 6 of which I've linked below if you're interested).Text
Time and Again - Review
Ancillary Mercy - Review
Arrows of the Queen - Review
Audio
Childhood's End - Review
Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America - Review
The Three Musketeers - Review
Just finished The Children of Men and decided to read a nonfiction Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America. May read City at the End of Time next.
Tonya wrote: "I'm reading The Blade Itself."How are you liking it? I am half way through the second book and it just keeps getting better and better!
Currently reading Regenesis by C.J. Cherryh. I never knew there was a followup/sequel to Cyteen, probably because it came out 20 years later.
Murkypoke wrote: "Just finished PERDIDO STREET STATION and almost died from lack of story and well formed characters. Like, let's all be bohemian hipsters but also most excellent."LOL Murkypoke, I've had that one on my tbr list. After reading that wonderful blurb, I'll definitely think twice about reading it. Thank you. :)
I'm currently reading The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I thought the latter was a reread, but I'm suspecting that I must have only started it and put it aside last time. I'm really enjoying both.
I am also reading The Aeronaut's Windlass. I have to keep reminding myself I am reading Jim Butcher and not Brandon Sanderson. Lots of similarity. That's a good thing of course!
Phrynne, I've been somewhat dumbfounded so far. The characters, the writing...did I actually feel tears prickling my eyes in empathy for a character? This is Jim Butcher?? Haha I really like him, but this seems quite a bit different from The Dresden Files. :)I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't read any Brandon Sanderson yet. :( Bumping him up on my list. :)
Elise H wrote: "Murkypoke wrote: "Just finished PERDIDO STREET STATION and almost died from lack of story and well formed characters. Like, let's all be bohemian hipsters but also most excellent."I can't disagree with Murkypoke more. Both Perdido Street Station and The Scar by China Mieville are two of the most amazing reading experiences I have ever had. They are VERY difficult to get into, I will admit, but if you stick with them the payoff is amazing.
Elise H wrote: "Phrynne, I've been somewhat dumbfounded so far. The characters, the writing...did I actually feel tears prickling my eyes in empathy for a character? This is Jim Butcher?? Haha I really like him, b..."It is very different to the Dresden Files but I like both:)
Elise H wrote: "I'll definitely think twice about reading it. Thank you. :)"You're welcome, ahh my good deed for the week/day... I had such high hopes for China but he's let me down badly, earring and all!
I finished It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, and now I'm reading more PK Dick short stories. As I read It Can't Happen Here I realized that it could (should) be read as satire, almost like SF satire, if it had been set on another planet and the characters had had alien-sounding names. Reading it with this perspective let me ignore minor problems with the writing style, unsympathetic characters, improbable plot twists, etc.
okay so another one of the months where my TBR just grows larger. Cleopatra: A Life
Magic Slays
Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing: Revised Edition
Alanna: The First Adventure
from the library
The Aeronaut's Windlass
Leviathan Wakes
Illuminae
Carry On
and there are a few more I want to get to as well. :)
I've been slowly readingg the whole year so I don't think this will work but if I can get half of them done it is a success.
My review of The Aeronaut's Windlass
by Jim Butcher.Loved it!https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
MadProfessah, I appreciate your input. What Murkypoke said about it sounds very much like something that would really annoy me about a book, so that's why it struck a chord with me. There's no guarantee I'll share her opinion once I read it. But it does make me want to drop that book a bit further down my list. ;)That being said, China Mieville is an author who has been hanging out on my tbr list for a while now, and I've yet to read any of his books. What do you (anyone who has read his work, feel free to jump in) think is a good place to start?
I'm more a fan of fantasy than sci-fi, and I don't mind weird.
Maybe I should make a new thread for that, but I also don't want to make a big deal about it.
Chakara, that looks like a great list! I'll be kind of surprised if I finish the two I'm currently reading by the end of the year.
Phrynne, I love your review. :) I'm only about 1/4 through The Aeronaut's Windlass so far, but I love it. Have you read any of The Codex Alera books? I haven't yet, and I keep wondering how those compare. Those are next on my list. :)
Elise H wrote: "That being said, China Mieville is an author who has been hanging out on my tbr list for a while now, and I've yet to read any of his books. What do you (anyone who has read his work, feel free to jump in) think is a good place to start?"For what it’s worth, I’m actually in the process of reading the China Miéville series you all are discussing now. I finished the first two (Perdido Street Station and The Scar) and am currently reading the third (Iron Council). I doubt I’ll ever call them favorites, but I’ve enjoyed them well enough to keep reading. The writing style is a bit different, and the buildup is a bit slow, but it usually ends up somewhere interesting by the end. I read the books without knowing the synopses, and both times there proved to be more to the story than what the beginnings had indicated. I liked the story in Perdido quite a bit better than Scar, although Scar had the cooler setting.
I have reviews out there if you’re interested in a more detailed opinion. There aren’t any spoilers aside from non-specific statements about whether I was satisfied with the endings.
Perdido Street Station Review
The Scar Review
Elise H wrote: "MadProfessah, I appreciate your input. What Murkypoke said about it sounds very much like something that would really annoy me about a book, so that's why it struck a chord with me. There's no gua..."Hi Elise--I read two books by China Mieville this year (Perdido Street Stationand The City & the City) and enjoyed both of them. I thought both of them were complex and well-written, but overall for me The City and the City was a tighter and more cohesive story; Perdido Street Station is very intricate but less plot-driven. Overall, I preferred The City and the City and I think that's a good book to start with--I liked the worldbuilding and the mystery aspects a lot. I also tend to prefer fantasy to scifi, if that helps!
"Library at Mount Char " started out Stephen King and ended kinda Peter Cline.... still rating it worth a try, 4 star fresh .
I actually could not finish book 3 in the Bas-Lag series by CHINA MIEVILLE. While I read them the first time, I greatly enjoyed THE SCAR and PERDIDO STREET STATION. I also liked THE CITY & THE CITY but KRAKEN was a mess and don't get me started on EMBASSYTOWN!
stop, stop , stop. so many great sounding books. Then my niece has dropped in a few boxes of books that are my fault because I got her started and for the past few years she has been buying sc fi and fantasy. She doesn't keep books once read. So I am going through to see what I haven't read before.
So many choices.
I have added all of your suggestions to a list, who has time to compete /do a challenge. I get distracted from my list of choices I made earlier in the year.
After reading some books that weren't right for me, or right for me now I read a bunch of graphic novels I really liked.Outcast: Volume 1: A Darkness Surrounds Him;
; You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack;
; Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir;
; and today a short novel in the voice of an institutionalized autistic adult Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb.The library has some books for me to pick up. I don't know which one I'll read next.
I'm picking out thrillers to finish my year, the two at the top of my list are:
Hands Across the Sky by Andrew John Schmitzand
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
Don wrote: ""Library at Mount Char " started out Stephen King and ended kinda Peter Cline.... still rating it worth a try, 4 star fresh ."Loved this book, I got the chance to interview the author Scott Hawkins. He's a cool guy.
Wow, thank you, guys! I really appreciate the input about China Mieville.YouKneeK, your reviews are perfect for someone in my position! That's extremely helpful. You've given me a better idea of what to expect without spoiling anything. Thank you! (I'm always leery of reading reviews because so many of them contain spoilers.)
Jaleenajo, your insight helps me a lot, and I think I'll follow your suggestion and start with The City and the City (probably followed by Perdido Street Station). Thank you!
MadProfessah, it helps to hear there is some of his work you don't like. I'm making a mental note to definitely not start with either Kraken or Embassytown! :) Thank you!
Kateb, I know that feeling all too well. If I were to include all of the books I'd like to read in my GR tbr list, I suspect there would be thousands. I might break GR. ;) That's fantastic that your niece gives you so many books! I have no doubt it's daunting, and possibly even packing your home so full of books that you have little room to move...but still, free fantasy and sci-fi books by the box full! Wow!
I've just started Waiting for the Barbarians: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...I got this at a charity used book sale at the bank.
Elise H wrote: "YouKneeK, your reviews are perfect for someone in my position! That's extremely helpful. You've given me a better idea of what to expect without spoiling anything. Thank you! (I'm always leery of reading reviews because so many of them contain spoilers.)"Thanks Elise, I’m very happy they were helpful! I hate, hate, hate spoilers. :)
cool phrase of the day: "weaponized politeness" the fifth season by n.k. jemisin
I just finished Frankenstein. I would definitely classify it as science fiction, though it's badly written in so many ways. It would be a great negative example for creative writing students.
Rob wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. It starts well!"That's a good series."
Just what I need - another series:)
Chris wrote: "I just finished Frankenstein. I would definitely classify it as science fiction, though it's badly written in so many ways. It would be a great negative example for creative writing st..."You know, nothing pisses me off more than people judging the past by the standards of the present. It's the sin of presentism. It applies as much to literature as it does to history.
FRANKENSTEIN was written in the early 19th century. It reads like it, too. Is it badly written by the standards of that period? Not really, even if it did suffer from some bad editorial decision making (the first four chapters, which themselves are period specific editorial additions). Is Mary Shelley Jane Austen? Not by a long shot, but then Austen was one of the best of the late 18th century.
The real question is why the present feels compelled to read this relic of the past--for what she has to say about science and technology run amok. It's a warning on human hubris. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing by this point. Testable, repeatable, classificatory science was up and running (see the Lunar Society, Lavoisier, DuPont, Linneas, Banks, etc). Shelley's warning is that science and technology do NOT, of necessity, led to improvement in humanity. (Improvement was a key feature of late 18th century sensibility.) FRANKENSTEIN is also a shot across Jeremy Bentham's bow: Utilitarianism, which is a progressive theory that marches towards better things for humanity. FRANKENSTEIN is horror story that warns against such belief.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Ghost King (other topics)This Perfect Day (other topics)
Our Dried Voices (other topics)
The Rabbit Back Literature Society (other topics)
I Am Crying All Inside and Other Stories (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Chuck Wendig (other topics)Elizabeth Bonesteel (other topics)
Kevin Hearne (other topics)
Ilona Andrews (other topics)
Trudi Canavan (other topics)
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Anyways, here's the first batch:
The Man in the High Castle. Great ideas, but the story just never really grabbed me. (My Review)
Sea of Silver Light. Really satisfying conclusion to a series I enjoyed. (My Review)
Master of Formalities Fun and light, but not as good as his Magic 2.0 series. (My Review)
The Fifth Season. This one is a contender for my favorite book of the year. I don't think my review does it justice, but here it is anyways: (My Review)
I also did a quick review for Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why so I could reference the book before returning it. It's a fun series so far. (My Review)