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 2023?
I read my first Greg Bear, Eon. I was really hooked into the first half. Very enjoyable read about discovery and exploration of an artefact, with a female mathematician/physicist lead character. Sadly I found the second half a bit of a slog. The story focus shifted and for me wasn't as interesting or engaging. I did finish it, but I'm going to take a break before I decide whether to read further in the series.
Overall I give 4 stars for the first half and 3 stars for the second half, so 3.5 stars, I guess.
To my taste the two most recent book-length Rivers of London stories are very good — What Abigail Did That Summer, which is a novella featuring Peter’s younger cousin, and Amongst Our Weapons.
Yesterday I finished a reread of The Ionian Mission, which is the 8th novel in the Aubrey/Maturin series of naval warfare books by Patrick O’Brian. I bought my copy of this one in 1994 and last read it in 2010. I started a reread of the series in 2021.Today I’ve been reading The Lewis Man, 2nd in a trilogy of mystery novels set on the remote Isle of Lewis. These aren’t brilliant but they hold the attention. To some extent they are the reverse of cozies. This one involves the experiences of child characters in an orphanage, and also an elderly character with Alzheimer’s. They aren’t unremittingly grim, there are good characters and human warmth, but they do present some cruel situations.
Probably back to SFF when I finish this.
I really wanted to like that Patrick O'Brian series! I couldn't get past all of the authentic vernacular. I spent too much time looking up words and phrases to enjoy it.
Stephen wrote: "Yesterday I finished a reread of The Ionian Mission, which is the 8th novel in the Aubrey/Maturin series of naval warfare books by Patrick O’Brian. I bought my copy of this one in 1994..."I quite liked Entry Island which is also not a cozy but has a bit of a tilt towards the SF&F genre
(view spoiler)
CBRetriever wrote: "… I quite liked Entry Island…”Partly set in the Magdalen Islands, it says. A place I’d like to visit but haven’t, yet.
what about Saint Pierre and Miquelon? I was astounded to learn, when I lived in France, that there was a French Territory in North America still. US History did not teach us this and I was amazed to find out, after further research, that the islands once thought of joining the US.
Oleksandr wrote: "Marc wrote: "Moving my way through CJ Cherryh's Merchanter aka Company Wars universe, "I've re-read Downbelow Station this month. A question, why don't you follow the author's sugges..."
yeah, good question! I was torn on the order. At the time I was reading nothing but Hugo award winners, so I read Cyteen first thinking it wasn't part of the Merchanter universe (aka company wars). but... Cyteen is mentioned in some of the other books. And even though Heavy Time and it's successor Hellburner are published after Downbelow Station, it is set before Downbelow Station, but they really are separate stories set in the same universe. Heck, I just finished Merchanter's Luck, it could be read before DBS. But go ahead and finish Downbelow Station. Heavy Time/Hellburner are both set in the Sol (aka Earth) side of things, so it's a little more familiar in the sense that we know Earth, Mars, the asteroids, etc. so it's a bit more relatable!
Cyteen is a bigger book, and IMHO the better book overall. Very grand, but it leaves you wondering for a good while throughout the book, some good turns (I was guessing one thing, and... guessed wrong!). I'm not sure that any of the books save for Heavy Time/Hellburner play any part with other books, no historical records (since they are different times within her universe), but I may have missed a few references, but nothing that makes you think (OMG!). I've not read Rimrunner yet nor the last 2 books, although the title of the last book is mentioned in Merchanter's luck (Finity's End), so save that one for last (AFAIK).
Anyhoo, finished CJ Cherryh's merchanter's Luck, again, not as grand as Cyteen, kinda a little story about a captain and his ship, a small old transport ship. Good story overall! A little story in that it's a lttle over 200 pages long, unlike her other books in that universe (dunno about Rimrunner/Tripoint/Finity's end though, are they short or long? remains to be seen!)Anyhoo, taking a break from fiction and reading Steve Jones (guitarist for Sex Pistols) biography 'Lonely Boy - Tales from a Sex Pistol'. I'm a fan! then I'll come back and read PK DIck's A Scanner Darkly, and then debating on finishing David Brin's uplift series or Dan Simmons Hyperion series (read the first already) or Cixin Liu's Dark Forest/Death's End (already read 3 body problem) or Ursula K LuGuin's Hainish Cycle (read the first half up to dispossessed (other than winter's king/Word for Forest...) Might end up throwing a 4-sided die and see which wins!
Marc wrote: "PK DIck's A Scanner Darkly, and then debating on finishing David Brin's uplift series or Dan Simmons Hyperion series (read the first already) or Cixin Liu's Dark Forest/Death's End (already read 3 body problem) or Ursula K LuGuin's Hainish Cycle (read the first half up to dispossessed (other than winter's king/Word for Forest...) Might end up throwing a 4-sided die and see which wins! ."We are treading similar paths. I am currently working through PKDs opus and also reading in sequence LeGuin's Hainish Cycle. I am recommend the Dark Forest (found the final book worth reading, but also not as strong as the middle one). I find all of Simmons series to get worse in time. I remember really enjoying the first book in the Hyperion series and slowing getting more and more dissatisfied with time.
I have just finished a Polish fantasy trilogy inspired by Slavic folklore. It's about a pre-Christian village, where one person, a guardian, is meant to protect the people against the monsters of the forest and to be the intermediary between the people and Slavic gods. It was really good! Very atmospheric, with a large cast of interesting characters and the elements of Slavic folklore were beautifully explored. The author is really passionate about the subject and it shows.
The first volume is actually translated into English, if anyone's interested: When The Frost Comes.
Marc wrote: "Anyhoo, finished CJ Cherryh's merchanter's Luck, again, not as grand as Cyteen, kinda a little story about a captain and his ship, a small old transport ship. Good story overall! A little story in ..."Have you read Regenesis? This is a sequel to Cyteen, also a large-scale story.
I did not read the Alliance/Company books in order either and am comfortable saying that it's not necessary because she is filling in different pieces of her universe with each book (except for the Heavy Time/Hellburner and Cyteen/Regenesis pairs where there are direct sequels). The only one I have trouble with in the sequencing of events is the newest, Alliance Rising, where I can't make the chronology match the rest of the universe (at least, not in my head).
I am reading my feeds on phone. Check this out: Visual Science Fiction!
https://fotoscapes.com/lookbook/LRf9B...
I am reading Red Rising, Ponniyian Selvan and The Great Insurrection.
Colin wrote: "Marc wrote: "Anyhoo, finished CJ Cherryh's merchanter's Luck, again, not as grand as Cyteen, kinda a little story about a captain and his ship, a small old transport ship. Good story overall! A lit..."ooh! I'll have to pick up regenesis!! thank you!!!
And yeah, RadiantFlux, I heard too that Hyperion series drops off as you go deeper. I'm thinking I'll finish the Hainish cycle first, rather than rolling a 4-sided die. then the three body series, curious about the tv series!
I'm reading Fahrenheit 451 from my Library of America Ray Bradbury collection while waiting for Contact to come available in my city library.
If you're a fan of Leigh Bardugo, then go ahead and pick up
Hell Bent #2 in the Alex Stern eventually-to-be trilogy.It's been a while since I had read a novel that completely gripped me from the beginning. It only took 7 pages for Hell Bent to sink its claws into me.
I've got to look into the Grishaverse now.
My Review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reading Dead Country, the first of the trilogy that will conclude Gladstone's Craft Sequence. Not the place to start if you're new to the Sequence, but so far a very good way to start the end.
Marc wrote: "Anyhoo, finished CJ Cherryh's merchanter's Luck, again, not as grand as Cyteen, kinda a little story about a captain and his ship, a small old transport ship. Good story overall! A little story in ..."I would use an eight-sided, it rolls better.
"I have just finished a Polish fantasy trilogy inspired by Slavic folklore. It's about a pre-Christian village, where one person, a guardian, is meant to protect the people against the monsters of the forest and to be the intermediary between the people and Slavic gods.It was really good! Very atmospheric, with a large cast of interesting characters and the elements of Slavic folklore were beautifully explored. The author is really passionate about the subject and it shows.
The first volume is actually translated into English, if anyone's interested: When The Frost Comes.
10 hours ago"
TBR. Working on (revising) a novel with a lot of Slavic folklore, so this is right up my alley.
Reading Victor Klemperer's I Will Bear Witness (1942-1945, vol II). Grim. I'll need something light after this.
@Banshee, thanks for telling us about this book! It looks really interesting! I’ve enjoyed the recent books I’ve read with Slavic inspiration. I’m keeping this in mind for future nomination!
Here is my review for: Paradise Lost
This is a very long poem, some might say epic, about Original Sin according to the Bible. This is a subject that three of the biggest religions in the world are heavily invested in. While reading through this poem I can't really see that any truly devout follower of any of them would be overjoyed with this interpretation.
The intermixture of Greek Myth and bending of the time frame of the source material might leave them a little out of sorts in regard to the work. As for myself, iambic pentameter is not my gig and the ending left me a little miffed. Still, it is a classic, and for good reason. I have found that for me at least, classic doesn't always equate to enjoyable reads.
I just reread the terrific Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. It's one of my comfort reads and I always enjoy it. Now I'm reading the latest in a good historical fiction series dealing with the Roman Legions: Storm of War. I think it's #13 if I'm not mistaken. This one centers around the Year of Five Emperors. What a vindictive and bloodthirsty time period!
I just finished the Steve Jones (sex pistols) autobiography Lonely Boy, a quite enjoyable bio!Now, on to PK Dick's A Scanner Darkly!
Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945
For me, this was a truly unique read on the Russian Front. Very few works on the Eastern Front take a close look at the soldiers that fought it. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which was the lack of access to such individuals. This work shows the divisions of the Soviet Army that are normally unseen in overview histories of the war. This is the same for any works of any nation, but most of the other countries have better views of the common soldiers due to the, mostly, open access to those sources.
An excellent read and one I would highly recommend to others.
Dj wrote: "Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 "If you'd like to see a Soviet civilian perspective on WW2, I recommend trying Svitlana Aleksiievych books, e.g. the first part of Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
Oleksandr wrote: "Dj wrote: "Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 "If you'd like to see a Soviet civilian perspe..."
Don't know if I would say I like them, since I have only read this one. However, I will be giving the one you mentioned a look. Thanks
Jan wrote: "I read my first Greg Bear, Eon. I was really hooked into the first half. Very enjoyable read about discovery and exploration of an artefact, with a female mathematician/physicist lead..."I agree. At one point, they lost the plot and stuck with the incomprehensible "science" and "technology".
Marc wrote: "I just finished the Steve Jones (sex pistols) autobiography Lonely Boy, a quite enjoyable bio!Now, on to PK Dick's A Scanner Darkly!"
A dark novel of drug abuse and paranoia, as I recall.
I finished a couple recently. I read Grave Importance the last in the Dr. Greta Helsing trilogy. I liked this story, but the ending got a bit cheesy for me. I think the first one in the series was my fav.I listened to When Women Were Dragons and LOVED it! It's about strong women and family relationships, queerness, and dragons, so... what's not to love.
Completed
The Once and Future Witches. A little confusion to start keeping the "sisters" straight. The ending boosted my review to four stars. I'm calling this a darkish fairy tale.
Eric wrote: "Completed The Once and Future Witches. A little confusion to start keeping the "sisters" straight. The ending boosted my review to f..."Cool! I have it on my kindle, but the book queue is long ;) Yes, yes, I will read it one of these days...
Alexandra wrote: "Cool! I have it on my kindle, but the book queue is long ;) Yes, yes, I will read it one of these days..."Good to have books to look forward to. Enjoy, whenever...
Just finished Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. It's sort of like the Lady Trent dragon books by Marie Brennan except that this lady naturalist studies fairies. It's set in a fictional country a lot like Iceland. I really liked it and am excited that there will be a sequel.
Mod
I just finished And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky. He can pack a lot into one novella! This one delivers an alternate Narnia with a touch of horror. Well worth reading.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jacqie wrote: "Just finished Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. It's sort of like the Lady Trent dragon books by Marie Brennan except that this lady naturalist studies fairies. It's set in a fictional countr..."I loved the Lady Trent series. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries just went up my TBR list. Thanks for the recommendation!
Reading Dead Country sent me on a mini-reread of the Craft Sequence. Three Parts Dead down, Four Roads Cross in progress. Just as brilliant as when I first read them.
just finished PK Dick's A Scanner Darkly. what a weird book! seemed to be set in an alternate 1970 universe, 70s slang, a reference to 60s/70s artists like jimi hendrix and Jim Croce. not spoiler (on back of book) two characters with split personalities, one a drug user, the other a narcotics officer. gets a little confusing as protagonist flips personalities, as you can imagine!! leaving his weird world behind, and going to Ursula K Leguin's The Word for World is Forest, part of her hainish universe!
dang can't edit on phone. I meant for scanner darkly one guy with split personalities.
The wikipedia article on “A Scanner Darkly” says the book was semi-autobiographical and needed some work to make it more science-fictional. to quote the article:“ There was also the challenge of transmuting the events into "science fiction", as Dick felt that he could not sell a mainstream or literary novel after several previous failures.[citation needed][10] Providing invaluable aid in this field was Judy-Lynn del Rey, head of Ballantine Books' SF division, which had optioned the book. Del Rey suggested the timeline change to 1994 and emphasized the more futuristic elements of the novel, such as the "scramble suit" employed by Fred (which, incidentally, emerged from one of the mystical experiences). Yet much of the dialogue spoken by the characters used hippie slang, dating the events of the novel to their "true" time-frame of 1970–72.”
Reading:The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison which is excellent
and
Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky which is also excellent
and
Ancient Light by Mary Gentle which is pretty good, but long
and
Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan which isn't as good as the Riyira series
and
Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson which is focused on Custer and a painting of the battle that's gone missing
and dabbling in
The Big Book of Science Fiction
CBRetriever wrote: "Reading:The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison which is excellent
and
Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky which is also excel..."
The Goblin Emperor is one of my favourites, and Adrian Tchaikovsky is a favourite author :))) The rest sounds interesting!
CBRetriever wrote: "Reading:The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison which is excellent
and
Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky which is also excel..."
I didn't like the Legends of the First Empire series nearly as much as the Riyria series, either.
Michelle wrote: "I didn't like the Legends of the First Empire series nearly as much as the Riyria series, either. "I think it's the characters - too many main ones and they're not quite as developed
CBRetriever wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I didn't like the Legends of the First Empire series nearly as much as the Riyria series, either. "I think it's the characters - too many main ones and they're not quite as devel..."
It's not as lighthearted, either!
Finished Ursula Le Guin's Word for World is Forest, a short but great story! not sure if it's a book, a little over 100 pages. Basically the colonial invaders interacting with a native population, only set in the future on a different planet.Now reading various short stories of her in the Hainish universe. She is a great writer!
Holly Black's The Cruel Prince, and Lucy Cooke's Bitch.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Hogfather (other topics)Night Watch (other topics)
Small Gods (other topics)
Hogfather (other topics)
The Last Continent (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
T. Kingfisher (other topics)Robin Hobb (other topics)
Robert Jordan (other topics)
Lois McMaster Bujold (other topics)
Martha Wells (other topics)
More...
I've read only the first three, the first was great but later... they were ok, solid reads but no punch (pun intended) of the first one - for me at least