What are you reading right now? For 2024

[John]

Teresa wrote: "John wrote: I'd never heard of them. After listening to Chicken Train I can understand why."

Ditto. I didn’t say I enjoyed that song, just that it was weird."

Yes, understood Teresa - the lyrics were truly weird.

[John]

John wrote: "Teresa wrote: "John wrote: I'd never heard of them. After listening to Chicken Train I can understand why."

Ditto. I didn’t say I enjoyed that song, just that it was weird."

Yes, understood Teres..."

...but I have to confess to a great fondness for bluegrass!

[John]

It's interesting how some excellent authors namecheck their musical tastes in their books.....what is your favourite song track/reference from a Space Opera (or general sci-fi) book?

[C. John]

John wrote: "C. John wrote: "Thanks. Should be able to find it on Spotify. Stick it between a couple of songs by Kensington Market."

I'd never heard of them. After listening to Chicken Train I can understand why."

I presume you meant the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. I would say not having heard of them is funny as they were quite popular at one time, but then that was back in the seventies. If you meant Kensington Market that I can understand. They were a band in probably the late sixites/early seventies from Toronto. They released a couple of albums but not a lot of success. Not even sure they managed to place anything on 1050-CHUM which was the main top 40 station in Toronto at that time.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’m horrible at deciding my favorite anything. The first that came to my mind is in the Liaden Universe. Several books mention Shan’s mother and Val Con both playing a Bach piece (Tocatta and Fugue?). My second thought was Jerry Boyd scatters musical references in quite a few of his books and the most memorable was when the Allbot Brothers Band rewrote the lyrics of Weird Al’s “Living With a Hernia” to be “Living With a Limiter”, as a protest song about the Commonwealth law requiring robots to have personality limiters. Allbot Brothers Band is entirely robot, without limiters, so they need to avoid being found in the Commonwealth.

Edit: found where Val Con played it. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. It’s mentioned in several books but the one I searched first and found it was Korval's Game

[Caitlin]

@John, I’ll post my thoughts on the sequels to the Transcendental thread once I’ve finished. I’m planning to read Transformation right after this one.

[Mike]

I've gone rather old school, dug out my old paper copy of 'David Falkayn: Star Trader' to take on holiday. Good stories, if indeed a little dated. Thought I had a paper copy of 'Rise of the Terran Empire' but I guess I will have to go for a Kindle copy.

[Brock]

Theresa I recommend david zindell as a fantastic sci fi author if you havent read any of his works yet!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’ve been reading fantasy and romance lately but started hankering for aliens so now I’m rereading Mindtouch by M.C.A. Hogarth. Multiple alien races, most of which were genetically engineered a long time ago. The two main characters are at medical school for xenopsychology, one just starting and the other a second year student, and neither of them human. If memory serves the first scene on a spaceship isn’t until the start of the second book, but it might be near the end of this one. I tend to binge read several books in this series when I reread the first so details are blurry. So unlikely to fit our loose definition of space opera but definitely SF.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished Mindtouch, now rereading Mindline which starts immediately after Mindtouch, and definitely involves scenes on spaceships.

[Caitlin]

@Theresa, Ooh, I love that series! Great cozy SF, if not quite space opera. I recently read the third volume, Dreamhearth, and will be going on to volume 4 soon.

[John]

I'm currently reading a short story - How It Unfolds by James S.A. Corey.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Caitlin wrote: "@Theresa, Ooh, I love that series! Great cozy SF, if not quite space opera. I recently read the third volume, Dreamhearth, and will be going on to volume 4 soon."
Glad to know there’s another fan in the group! I am almost finished rereading Dreamhearth and will likely reread #4 of the series.

New Jerry Boyd book due out Wednesday, and two fantasy books (one preordered, other will be on KU) due out the following week.

[John]

This may be blinkered on my part, because many authors like M C A Hogarth seem to gather a large number of loyal fans....but I find it difficult to believe that someone who has written in excess of 50 books since 2000 has written anything I'd be interested in reading.

But I'm happy to be proved wrong - so of her very many books, which should I read in order to appreciate her?

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

The only books she wrote that I reread are the Dreamhealers books, so try a free preview of Mindtouch. If it doesn’t grab you, don’t bother. Caitlin might suggest one of her other series. Do keep in mind that my own tastes in SF don’t match yours very well. They don’t even match my own tastes from 20 years ago very well.

[C. John]

John wrote: "This may be blinkered on my part, because many authors like M C A Hogarth seem to gather a large number of loyal fans....but I find it difficult to believe that someone who has written in excess of..."

50 books in almost 25 years doesn't seem excessive to me. Remember for many authors writing is how they make their living. thus to make a decent wage they need to produce more than one a book a year.

[Trike]

C. John wrote: "50 books in almost 25 years doesn't seem excessive to me. Remember for many authors writing is how they make their living. thus to make a decent wage they need to produce more than one a book a year."

Jack L. Chalker once remarked that there’s no correlation between speed and quality, and I’ve found that to be true.

I was just thinking about how prolific Adrian Tchaikovsky is — he’s written 32 novels, a dozen novellas and who knows how many short stories since 2008. That’s basically 3 novels a year. Even Brandon Sanderson isn’t matching Tchaikovsky’s output. (Although maybe by word count.)

[Betsy]

I agree. There are about 30 books in the Honorverse series by David Weber, and that's only one of several different series. Of course, he often partners with another author.

[John]

Trike wrote: "C. John wrote: "50 books in almost 25 years doesn't seem excessive to me. Remember for many authors writing is how they make their living. thus to make a decent wage they need to produce more than ..."

Given Chalker's output, he's hardly likely to say anything else, and while I enjoy a lot of Tchaikovsky's work, it can sometimes be a bit uneven.

However, I appreciate that many of these authors are extremely popular - and it's good that we all have such different tastes.

[John]

Teresa wrote: "The only books she wrote that I reread are the Dreamhealers books, so try a free preview of Mindtouch. If it doesn’t grab you, don’t bother. Caitlin might suggest one of her other series. Do keep i..."

Thanks Teresa, I've decided to try at least one of her books - and probably the one you recommend. I thought I'd try the library system first but can't find any of her books in any library in Glasgow or East Dunbartonshire. But I'll keep an eye on Amazon for any deals (and I'll watch out for any hard-copies in sales).

[John]

One of the benefits of a group like this is that it provides suggestions for books that you might not otherwise have read, so - tied in with the recent comment string - I have read one of David Weber's books, gave it 4 stars, and will probably try more; I've read one of the Liaden Universe books, didn't like it and rated it 2 stars - but I recognise that I may just have been unlucky with that book and will probably try at least one more. I'll probably try one of Hogarth's books, although (sorry Caitlin) "cozy SF" just feels like a contradiction to me!

I guess my badly-made point is that as fans of sci-fi we should be open to trying lots of different facets of the genre, and not ploughing our way through the frequently-formulaic output of certain authors.

[John]

Teresa wrote: "Do keep in mind that my own tastes in SF don’t match yours very well. They don’t even match my own tastes from 20 years ago very well."

Teresa, your comment got me thinking about which books/authors have stood the 20-year test of time with me....and it's a small group - Isaac Asimov, Iain m banks, Ken McLeod and Michael Faber. And I've lost count of how many times I've read Earth Abides over the last 50 years.

[Betsy]

Thinking about it, I think John does have a point. I am a rabid Honorverse fan, but I haven't read any of Weber's other series. They just don't sound interesting to me. And I was severely disappointed with some of the later entries in the Honorverse, especially the last one. It felt forced. Like he was tired of writing about Honor but his fans insisted on a final entry to tie up some loose ends. So I think some authors have trouble maintaining the same level of quality through long series.

But some authors are able to do it. So, I guess John's exhortation that we need to keep an open mind applies to both options.

[Audrey]

Also to John's point, I don't think I would ever have found or read Hellspark by Janet Kagan except for this group. It turned out to be one of my all time favorite books.

I love the suggestions from everyone. Even if I don't read a mentioned book immediately, I might read it, and love it, sometime later.

[Glyn]

Good morning,

I've just finished reading 'Some Desperate Glory' by Emily Tesh and before that I read the 'Pandominion' duology by M.R. Carey. I'm not a book reviewer by any means, but just wanted to share that these were some of the best scfi books that I have read in a very long time, and would recommend - though I assume the aficionados on this thread have probably read them already. I am currently waiting for Peter F Hamilton's new book 'Exodus: The Archimedes Engine' to be delivered this Thursday (19th Sept) as I'm a big fan of most of his work.

[John]

Hi Glyn, I also loved "Some Desperate Glory" and the first of the Pandominion duology - and hoping to read the second book soon. I hope you enjoy "Exodus".

[John]

Audrey wrote: "Also to John's point, I don't think I would ever have found or read Hellspark by Janet Kagan except for this group. It turned out to be one of my all time favorite bo..."

I'd never heard of "Hellspark", Audrey, but have just downloaded a copy.

[John]

I'vs just started The Athabasca Project by Caitlin, the prequel to Halcyon. My copy of Buy Jupiter and other stories by Isaac Asimov should also arrive this week, so I'll need to get my skates on.

[Fiona]

Afua by Petersen and Drinkwater. Fun Amazofuturist novella!

[Glyn]

John wrote: "Hi Glyn, I also loved "Some Desperate Glory" and the first of the Pandominion duology - and hoping to read the second book soon. I hope you enjoy "Exodus"."

Thanks John. The second book is even better than the first so you are in for a treat!

[John]

Fiona wrote: "Afua by Petersen and Drinkwater. Fun Amazofuturist novella!"

I've never heard of these, and don't want to start at book 5 of a series, so I've just bought book 1 to give it a try.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I finished rereading the Dreamhealers series. A related series that includes the two main characters from Dreamhealers tempted me but the first two books of it involve an ugly war, with good guys being captured and tortured, and I’m definitely not up to that kind of thing right now.

Not sure what I’ll be in the mood for next, but the next Bob and Nikki book should drop tomorrow.

[Trike]

I started reading a sample of one of the Warhammer 40k books included in the Humble Bundle and I liked it, but that universe is so daunting that I’m not even going to start.

(I’m pretty sure the “40k” in the title refers to the number of books they have. :p)

But the sample included a bunch of ship names that were all over the place: Hex, In Devout Abjuration, Kai’manah, etc., so I took a look at the 40k wiki and decided to add those names to my massive spaceship name list. (I don’t know how many names so far, maybe 6,000?)

So now I’m reading about Warhammer starships. Is it weird that I like the worldbuilding of some of these universes more than the stories set in them?

[Cheng]

Trike wrote: "(I’m pretty sure the “40k” in the title refers to the number of books they have. :p)"

Actually, that's how much it costs to put together an army and table of scenery to play ;)

[Trike]

😆

[Betsy]

John wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Also to John's point, I don't think I would ever have found or read Hellspark by Janet Kagan except for this group. It turned out to be one of my all t..."

Also my favorite fiction. I've read it scores of times. And as a group we've read it at least twice.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Hellspark is great! I reread Mirabile by Janet Kagan more often than Hellspark but I’ve read Hellspark quite a few times over the last 30 or so years.

Hmmm think it’s time to reread Mirabile.

[John]

I'm already half-way through The Athabasca Project by Caitlin Demaris McKenna. It's the prequel to Halcyon, but at the moment I think it's even better than Halcyon.

If anyone else in the group has read and enjoyed Halcyon, why not second my nomination of The Athabasca Project for October's LIMITED Book of the Month?

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Bob and Nikki #51 just dropped: Wise Guys by Jerry Boyd. The entire series is on KU by the way. Humorous space opera.

[John]

I've finished The Athabasca Project and really enjoyed it - a four star rating from me. I recommend it and encourage you to vote for it as October's LIMITED choice so that we can discuss it further.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I finished Wise Guys late yesterday. Almost all of it was set on Earth. As usual any time Bob wants a vacation something interferes with it. There’s no hook at the end for the next volume, other than nobody having a clue how to keep the fleet busy without starting a war or something, now that they have explored the reasonably close part of the galaxy.

[Caitlin]

@John regarding MCA Hogarth’s work, if you’re not interested in her cozier stuff you might like the Her Instruments trilogy starting with Earthrise better. Real classic space opera with a rough-and-tumble found family of interstellar traders, space battles, political machinations and a well-written romance. I reread it last year and I rarely reread books, let alone entire trilogies!

[John]

Caitlin wrote: "@John regarding MCA Hogarth’s work, if you’re not interested in her cozier stuff you might like the Her Instruments trilogy starting with Earthrise better. Real classic space opera with a rough-and..."

Since I've enjoyed your previous recommendations, Caitlin, and since Hogarth seems to be well-regarded in this group, I've just purchased a copy of Earthrise, and I'll give it a try once I've finished Lost Solace.

But is she really worth £7.99 for the kindle version and £14 for a self-published paperback?

[Caitlin]

@John, In my opinion her work is worth it. £7.99 isn’t bad, imo, when trad publishers are asking double that for the same epub file.

[John]

Caitlin wrote: "@John, In my opinion her work is worth it. £7.99 isn’t bad, imo, when trad publishers are asking double that for the same epub file."

I'm about a third of the way through Lost Solace now, so should be starting Earthrise in the next few days.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I mostly make my decisions on buying books by reading the free preview. If I care about the characters and want to know what happens next when I finish that free preview, I either buy it or put it on a wishlist. Often with the nopes I don’t even finish half the free preview.

[C. John]

I am old fashioned. I still read the cover blurb for a book, or a listing, to see if it interests me, unless it is by an author I am familiar with and whose work I enjoy.

[Trike]

I once dated a girl who would go into the library and pick books at random. 35 years later I still find that wild.

[John]

If it's an author I'm not familiar with I tend to read any blurb, and look at the best 3 and worst three reviews on Amazon. If it's a new book and has been reviewed in a publication I trust (and there are few of those!), I'll read that. But I rely very heavily on recommendations from groups like this; particularly if there are regular posters and you build up an awareness of those whose tastes are likely to coincide with yours.

[L J]

When I was reading my way through library SF I just picked up books I hadn't yet read but I was 11 or 12 at the time. I'd not been reading SF long enough to develop many favorites. Wouldn't even have been allowed to check out books in adult area except for my mother arranging it with the head librarian. I was more selective when it came to mystery/suspense as I'd been reading those longer and had favorite authors.

If I've never read the author I tend to read the preview or a few pages of the book. If it's audio I'm even more likely to want to preview even if I am re-reading book I read in print.

Someone suggested I try the GraphicAudio version Murderbot and the preview was what got me to try them. I don't usually like full cast recordings but have enjoyed most of the GraphicAudio I've tried.