SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2023?
I just did the same thing, Economondos! I mean, I read Little Fuzzy and then Fuzzy Nation. I liked them both, and will leave it at that.
Pandorahh wrote: "Thank you all for talking about Martha Wells I added: All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol
[book:Exit Strategy|355191..."
Apparently Apple TV+ is making a series based on the books.
Home sick from work today, and I finished listening to The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. It was so, so, so good! I loved the characters, the slow build up, all the thoughtful ideas explored, and it was exciting and well-written. Thanks to all of the group members who've recommended it. I'll definitely be continuing on with the series and may need to check out Bujold's science fiction series as well.I'm also reading T. Kingfisher's Paladin's Faith, which I'm enjoying very much so far. I wish I had read the first book in the series more recently, though, because it was a bit hard for me to remember some of the repeated characters at first.
DivaDiane wrote: "I just did the same thing, Economondos! I mean, I read Little Fuzzy and then Fuzzy Nation. I liked them both, and will leave it at that."Without your comment (a month ago?) I would not have known Fuzzy Nation existed. So many series to keep track of.
Kaia wrote: "Home sick from work today, and I finished listening to The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. It was so, so, so good! I loved the characters, the slow build up, all the thoughtf..."That is the hallmark of her work. Strongly recommend Shards of Honor if you liked Curse of Chalion.
Read the new biography of Joshua L. Chamberlain, On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Ronald White. Chamberlain went from college professor at Bowdoin to commanding the 20th Maine regiment that held the extreme left flank of the Union line at Little Round Top and probably saved the Union on July2 1863. The story becomes even more astonishing from there. Leading an attack at Petersburg a year later, he was shot through the hips. The Minie ball tore up both hips, several blood vessels, the bladder, and the urethra. He was told he was going to die, but two surgeons who knew him worked for several hours into the night to patch him together. (This was 1864!) This wound is the topic of multiple papers in modern medical literature. Somehow, he survived and, 5 months later, he went back to the army and the front line at Petersburg despite being unable to ride a horse or walk more than a hundred yards. Another several months saw him back in the saddle leading an attack at Five Forks, where, of course, he was shot in the chest. (A leather case and hand mirror in his breast pocket deflected the bullet.) Despite constant pain from the wound, which never was completely closed and leaked urine externally, and recurrent infections, he was the officer who accepted the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, served four terms as governor of Maine, was president of Bowdoin College, and stopped (virtually singlehanded) an attempted coup in Maine in 1880. This is an excellent biography, diligently researched where conflicting views had surfaced over the years. Chamberlain led a life that even fictional characters are hard-pressed to match. Definitely worth the read - and compare mentally some of our favorite fictional characters as you do.
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Colin wrote: "Read the new biography of Joshua L. Chamberlain, On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Ronald White. Chamberlain went from college profess..."Sounds intriguing Colin. I might try this one. Back in July I enjoyed American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles, another fascinating biography of a larger-than-life Civil War character.
Wrapped up A True History of the United States, Daniel Sjursen.Beginning The Golem and the Jinni per up-thread recommendation.
Eventually succumbed to reading Legends and Lattes despite the cover. I really enjoyed it!My Review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jan wrote: "Colin wrote: "Read the new biography of Joshua L. Chamberlain, On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Ronald White. Chamberlain went from c..."I hope you read about Chamberlain and let us know what you think. I have been thinking about the book on Sickles and I'm going to try it. He was such an outrageous character. . .
I finished
The Malevolent Seven. This is Sebastien de Castell just plain having fun with wizardry. You'll know when you meet the Rat Mage. Four stars.
That one is high on my TBR, looking forward to it
I finished Gene Wolf's Shadow of the Torturer. Was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a good read, but it seemed so many people built it up that that whole series is the best that can be, and it wasn't that great, maybe no book can be that good! Who knows, maybe claw of the Conciliator will put it on top. I'll find out, reading that now...
Marc wrote: "I finished Gene Wolf's Shadow of the Torturer. Was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a good read, but it seemed so many people built it up that that whole series is the best that can..."I didn't like that series for some reason.
I read Tracking by David R. Palmer and was really disappointed too. I loved his book Emergence but the sequel was full of far too much Tom Clancy military/equipment/plane description and too little story and characters. Quite a let down especially as I was really looking forward to reading it and it makes me understand why it was published as a book back when it was serialized in whatever SF&F magazine it was in.
I did kinda enjoy Wreckers by George Ellis. It was a fairly entertaining space opera/caper book
I finished these recently & recommend them. On Audible PlusMrs. Wickham - If you want a cozy historical, this will fit well. A nice add on to Pride & Prejudice world.
Alethea - Went into the story blind & had a lot of fun! Lively pace, established characters and just enough setting to have a hazy outline. Fun SF
The Downloaded - Cool concepts & decent plot progression. Ending was a cluster-poo, but I had fun listening to the story. I'd read a series based on this novella. Cryogenics - Stimulated Mind - AI - World Stuff: Kitchen Sink of SF tropes
This weekend I finished reading Generation Ship, which I really enjoyed. I think this falls into both the space opera and political sci-fi categories. It reminded me most of the books in the Expanse series. There was good representation of gender diverse characters, but unusually also several neurodivergent characters that I thought were well done. Even the Big Bads were well-rounded characters with understandable motives rather than caricatures as is often the case. Though this wasn't the main focus, the book had a really interesting take on the new planet/new species/first contact component. It was unique, and I wanted more about this!
In any event, I would read more from this author, Michael Mammay. Has anyone read his Planetside series? I guess I should go look and see if it's on the group shelf . . .
Rose wrote: "This weekend I finished reading Generation Ship, which I really enjoyed."While I can't help you with other books by Mammay, you really have me looking forward to the book order we just made this week.
I'm now churning my way through the Murderbot series, up to Rogue Protocol now. So brilliant (though perhaps 2% less so than All Systems Red?)Astonishing for there to be so much depth in these short works.
Stephen wrote: "I'm now churning my way through the Murderbot series, up to Rogue Protocol now. So brilliant (though perhaps 2% less so than All Systems Red?)Astonishing for there to be so much depth in these sh..."
I love this series! I've read all but the new release, and am planning a re-read, probably this year, before tackling the new one.
I also really enjoyed her new high fantasy novel, Witch King - did anybody read that one?
Stephen wrote: "I'm now churning my way through the Murderbot series, up to Rogue Protocol now. So brilliant (though perhaps 2% less so than All Systems Red?)Astonishing for there to be so much depth in these sh..."
I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying Murderbot! The more fans, the better ;)
Rose wrote: "I also really enjoyed her new high fantasy novel, Witch King - did anybody read that one?"I liked Witch King very much! Maybe not as much as Murderbot, but both the world and the characters were interesting.
Alexandra wrote: "Rose wrote: "I also really enjoyed her new high fantasy novel, Witch King - did anybody read that one?"I liked Witch King very much! Maybe not as much as Murderbot, but both the world and the cha..."
I agree, good characters and worldbuilding. Wells does a snarky character really well, doesn't she?
I finished The Curse of Chalion. Enjoyed the characterisations, the world-building, and the twists and turns of the plot. I may go on and read some more in the series.Also finished Deepsix. A very enjoyable sci-fi adventure. If you are interested in this one, IMO it's a good idea (although not essential) to go back and read #1 first, The Engines of God. Also a great read.
I've started The Kaiju Preservation Society but not sure whether I'll last through the whole thing. Not really my preferred style. Oh well, it's from the library, so I won't lose anything if I dnf.
Currently reading Remember Me, a pleasant historical romance. Also intending to start a reread of Chindi, #3 in The Engines of God series.
Rose wrote: "This weekend I finished reading Generation Ship, which I really enjoyed. I think this falls into both the space opera and political sci-fi categories. It reminded me most of the boo..."Yes, I've read Mammay's Planetside series, Rose- I recommend it!
Michelle wrote: "Rose wrote: "This weekend I finished reading Generation Ship, which I really enjoyed. I think this falls into both the space opera and political sci-fi categories. It reminded me mo..."Thanks! Good to hear.
Rose wrote: "I also really enjoyed her new high fantasy novel, Witch King - did anybody read that one?"I also really liked Witch King, Rose! (Not as much as Murderbot, but more than Wells' The Cloud Roads, which I tried to read a while back and couldn't get into. Though maybe I should give it another try.)
Just completed a reread of the first three Fuzzy books: Little Fuzzy, Fuzzy Sapiens. and Fuzzies and Other People. I read them in the collection The Complete Fuzzy.These are a great ride if you like sci-fi from the 60s. Reminds me of works by Robert Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov and Gordon Dickson.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
Next up is Fuzzy Bones. Partway into it and the contrast to the events of Fuzzies and Other People is interesting. FaOP had not been published when Tuning wrote his version and the contrast thus far is engrossing.
Kaia wrote: "Rose wrote: "I also really enjoyed her new high fantasy novel, Witch King - did anybody read that one?"I also really liked Witch King, Rose! (Not as much as Murderbot, but more than Wells' The Cl..."
I feel like she has really developed as a writer. I recently checked out the re-issued version of City of Bones and decided to give it a pass, because it felt like a less refined version of Witch King - more clunky worldbuilding, just not quite as polished and skilled of writing as more recent stuff. And that's ok! It's nice to see a writer's skill development over time, IMO.
I'm up to Murderbot 4 now - churning through them, oh no!
Been a while since I shared what I’ve been reading/listened to lately.Audiobooks:
The London Séance Society was historical fiction with a bit of fantastical murder mystery.
The Fragile Threads of Power which is the first of a new series based off a previous series, Shades of Magic. It was nice to see where the characters are now, but am confused by why this is a separate series and think you would be lost if you don’t read the Shades of Magic series first.
Physical books:
Starling House Just really loved this one.
Death's End the last one in the Three Body Problem series. This series is epic sci-fi, glad I got through it this year, the ideas are really interesting and kind of blew my mind. It was interesting to see how far into the future the story goes into.
The book order just arrived!To Be Read shelf now has:
The Way of Kings
The Three-Body Problem
Leviathan Wakes and
The Left Hand of Darkness
The last is for the March discussion.
OK, these will slide over into 2024. Especially since a 12-book order went off to Alibris this morning.
Thanx very much to everyone who has been reviewing/recommending these.
Economondos wrote: "The book order just arrived!To Be Read shelf now has:
The Way of Kings
The Three-Body Problem
Leviathan Wakes and
The Left Hand of Darkness..."
That is a great list. I recently read all 4.
Economondos wrote: "The book order just arrived!To Be Read shelf now has:
The Way of Kings
The Three-Body Problem
Leviathan Wakes and
[book:The Left Hand of Darkness|184..."
I love Alibris!
Just finished Fuzzy Bones by William TuningMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This alternative to Fuzzies and Other People is a good yarn. I prefer PIper's take on this part of the saga, though.
Having read a summary and reviews on Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation. I think I will skip it. I don't need an alternative origin story on Fuzzy first contact. Instead I am moving on to Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey.
Economondos wrote: "The book order just arrived!To Be Read shelf now has:
The Way of Kings
The Three-Body Problem
Leviathan Wakes and
[book:The Left Hand of Darkness|184..."
Very nice! I loved both Three-Body Problem and The Left Hand of Darkness. I'll reread Left Hand of Darkness with the group in a few months. I've actually just discovered Leviathan Wakes on Spotify Premium so I may listen to that one even though I own the book.
I have not read any Sanderson yet but will borrow some of his books from my daughter.
Eric wrote: "I finished The Malevolent Seven. This is Sebastien de Castell just plain having fun with wizardry. You'll know when you meet the Rat Mage. ..."Sounds interesting, might have to give it a look.
Here is my review of Invictus:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thanks again for the reccommendation!
I guess from this review that you’re planning to read book two 😹
Began The Counter-Revolution of 1776, which reexamines the role of African slaves and slavery in a global, and economic sense, from early colonial times to beyond the Revolution. It's *fascinating*.
Brett wrote: "Began The Counter-Revolution of 1776, which reexamines the role of African slaves and slavery in a global, and economic sense, from early colonial times to beyond the Revolution. It's *fascinating*."This sounds really interesting and an important read.
Finished Gene Wolf's Claw of the Conciliator, and, my opinion hasn't changed. It is a good story, glad I'm reading it, but IMHO, it's not on the same level as Lord of the Rings or even Glen Cook's Black Company series. of course I love the Black Company series. I will later finish Wolf's series (I have books 3/4), but now going to start Frederik Pohl's Man Plus. I bought the book, may as well read it!
I reread the Black Company series every year or two. I really enjoy it. Let us all know about Man Plus, Pohl is an author that I like, but often seem to forget when it is book-buying time.
Economondos wrote: "I reread the Black Company series every year or two. ."I was really impressed with the first trilogy, but later volumes looked like milking the money cow, another adventure for the characters you love
I'm thinking of re-reading his heechee series, I've read gateway and beyond the blue event horizon, but that was (gasp!) 30+ years ago.. I vaguely remember small parts of it! Gotta go dig up my ancient copy of gateway (in which box are those old books anyway?)
Marc wrote: "I'm thinking of re-reading his heechee series, I've read gateway and beyond the blue event horizon, but that was (gasp!) 30+ years ago.. I vaguely remember small parts of it! Gotta go dig up my anc..."I really need to read that. It was one of my Dad's favorites. After the Mote in God's Eye.
30 years sounds about right for the last time I read Heechee. OK - just checked the shelves and all of my Pohl has been donated. Even the Space Merchants. Yep, got to get some used.
Just finished Floating Hotel - it's cozy, with found family vibes, but it's quite a dark tale overall. There are too many POV's, and it shows that the author is still getting her bearings (this is Grace Curtis' second published novel). I enjoyed it nonetheless!My review is here ;)
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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Hogfather (other topics)Night Watch (other topics)
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The Last Continent (other topics)
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T. Kingfisher (other topics)Robin Hobb (other topics)
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My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Why 4 stars and not 5? Because I compare Good Omens to the later works of each and can see there is another level above it.
Starting a re-read of H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy series. This is also an excuse to pick up Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation.