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 2024?
Alexandra wrote: "CJ wrote: "I try to be indifferent to these awards, especially when I haven't read all the shortlisted books, including this one, but I loved The Saint of Bright Doors and Witch King... " Witch King really deserves an award. Horror and fantasy books usually describe how priests and wizards try to exorcise evil demons that try to take up residence in people's bodies. But in this case, humans and demons are cooperating, and on top of that, this book has a demon's POV!
I've never read anything like it before!
gave him a box full of book suggestions, we only have to wait and see what genre he likes. i included murder mysteries as well as sci fi and fantasy
Who's Witch King is everyone raving about? There are several by that title?
Brett wrote: "Who's Witch King is everyone raving about? There are several by that title?"Martha Wells' recent-ish book, Witch King, which had some award nominations this year.
Just finished *The Circumference of the World* by Lavie Tidhar. It was wild and bizarre and written for anyone in the know about Golden Age SF (writers and culture). I really liked it.
Currently knees deep into Jade War. This one is almost 100% a mafia saga and there's very little SFF to it. Which I'm fine with, actually, because I'm hooked anyway.
Silvana wrote: "reading James SA Corey latest novel The Mercy of Gods - halfway and feeling kinda underwhelmed...."I just gave that one a try and was also underwhelmed.
Just started Beware of Chicken. It has been funny so far and is way different from what I usually read. Not sure how I feel about it yet. But continuing through.
Reading Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Fun, but a bit shallow - so far
finally finished Gene Wolf's The Urth of the New Sun. For only 372 pages, it was a real slog. If it was great, that greatness flew right past me. It starts pretty much right after the end of book 4, Citadel of the Autarch. It starts out with his protagonist on a great ship 'sailing' to other worlds and times. You'd think, whoa! what a great ship, I'd like to go, imagine all the things, but... I just didn't like where he went with it. and the end, ugh. Took me like 11 days to read it, and I basically finished because I started it.now, on to a different classic book, Julian May's The Many-Colored Land. So far, so good!
I finished reading Thinner by Stephen King. The book was originally published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym. This was the novel when his pseudonym was exposed. This novel’s working title was Gypsy Pie. It starts with the protagonist being cursed by a gypsy and details the lengths he takes to lift the curse. I am reading Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin. The MAX show House of the Dragon is based on about a fourth of this book. I’m also reading Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi. It is a rewriting of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper using contemporary sympathies. I plan to read Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan next.
I have just finished The Spirit Ring by Lois Bujold. This book is something between a historical novel and a fantasy. On the one hand, it is set in Renaissance Italy. The book does an even better job than real historical novels of describing that period, when Italy was divided into many warring city-states, mercenary leaders often seized power, and child marriages, poisoning and torture were common.
On the other hand, the city-state of Montefoglia, where the main protagonist, Fiametta, lives, is entirely fictional. Ghosts and kobolds also exist in this world, and alchemy and magic really do work.
All in all, this is a well-written and very interesting book.
Ambereyes wrote: "I have just finished The Spirit Ring by Lois Bujold. This book is something between a historical novel and a fantasy. On the one hand, it is set in Renaissance Italy. The book does an even better ..."
Bujold is always good ;)
And I just finished her Penric and the Bandit, book 13 in the Penric & Desdemona series. It was wonderful, of course!
My review is here ;)
Started reading Artemis by Andy Weir and find that I yet again really like Weirs tone and language. I loved Project Hail Mary... and still have the Martian to read .
Alexandra wrote: "Ambereyes wrote: "I have just finished The Spirit Ring by Lois Bujold. This book is something between a historical novel and a fantasy. On the one hand, it is set in Renaissance Italy. The book do..."
So many people praise this series of books. I will probably read it one day. And your review is a great incentive for me to do so.
Ambereyes wrote: "So many people praise this series of books. I will probably read it one day. And your review is a great incentive for me to do so."
I hope you will like it! :)
Woke up early this morning and finished up The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This one took a long time to finish. Not that it was a difficult read, quite the opposite. The writing is very approachable, almost simplistic. It is just a reeeaaallly long book.
My review here
I started The Game of Fox and Lion by Robert Chase. This is a reread, and definitely a comfort read. Also continuing Fellowship of the Ring on audio.
David wrote: "Started reading Artemis by Andy Weir and find that I yet again really like Weirs tone and language. I loved Project Hail Mary... and still have the Martian to read ."I liked both of those by Andy Weir. Not perfect but pretty cool space related fiction.
I just got by the Red Wedding in my current Game of Thrones book. Made me pause a bit before continuing on.
Bobby wrote: "I just got by the Red Wedding in my current Game of Thrones book. Made me pause a bit before continuing on."Yeah, it'll do that.
Maybe it was too much birthday cake yesterday, but I couldn't sleep last night. So I read The Game of Fox and Lion by Robert R. ChaseMy rating: 4 of 5 stars. Good, solid sci-fi.
My review here
This one was on my TBR Cleanup Challenge, as is the next: Birth of Fire by Jerry Pournelle.
Happy birthday if applicable, Economondos!
Recently finished Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse and loved it. Great setting, great characters, intriguing story. Can't wait to read the second book.Reading Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. I am torn on this one. I wasn't terribly impressed with her other novel, and this one is a notch over it, if only for its creative and interesting take on vampires. But her writing style, how the novel is structured, the overwrought romantic subplot and romanticizing of the cultural and gender norms of the time period of the story is set are tiring for me.
Also reading In Ascension by Martin MacInnes. I tried to read this months back but couldn't get into it. This time around, I'm liking it, although there is a lot of dry science-y exposition and very slow paced. I'm OK with that, personally. I like how MacInnes writes his characters and how he weaves the very ordinary aspects of the MC's life with her scientific ambitions. I relate a lot to her conflicts in that regard.
Economondos wrote: "Maybe it was too much birthday cake yesterday, but I couldn't sleep last night. So I read The Game of Fox and Lion by Robert R. ChaseMy rating: 4 of 5 stars. Good, solid sci-fi.
My review here
..."
Happy Birthday!!!
Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Made it to 60.
Economondos wrote: "Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Made it to 60."Good for you!
CJ wrote: "Recently finished Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse and loved it. Great setting, great characters, intriguing story. Can't wait to read the second book. ..."The second book is just as good as the first! She is a great writer!
Michelle wrote: "Economondos wrote: "Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Made it to 60."Good for you!"
you're catching up to me - I'm 63 in a few days!
I'm halfway to 90 on the 10th. Starting The Hardboiled Dicks, a collection of pulp noir short stories.
Brett wrote: "I'm halfway to 90 on the 10th. Starting The Hardboiled Dicks, a collection of pulp noir short stories."Wow! I wish my loved ones could live to be that old! Your children and grandchildren must be very happy for you.
Brett wrote: "I'm halfway to 90 on the 10th. Starting The Hardboiled Dicks, a collection of pulp noir short stories."That's one way to look at things, Brett :)
I finished the nine published books of the Tuyo
series. There are three main books told from our hero's (Ryo) point of view. Others are back stories. The last is totally stand alone. I rated the books from three to five stars. An interesting world of sorcery and honor. Some tales read as folklore. According to the author, there will be more books of the land of sand, the summer lands, the winter lands and the land of shades. The latter is where the deceased go.
August has been another light reading month. Not too worried about it, since I've completed my annual goal, and am partway through three books. Without further ado:Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire: #4 in her InCryptid UF series. Somewhat of a dud. I thought that McGuire could have done more with Australia and its cryptids rather than make this "yet another werewolf story," and the newly-introduced characters were tiresome. (review)
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (audio): I read this one mainly so I could participate in SFFBC's Virtual Book Club about it. Fun, light SF that spurred more discussion than I'd expected. (short review)
Addendum: I tend to overlook short fiction in these roundups, and I finished three this month. So maybe this hasn't been as pathetic a reading month as I thought.
The Forensic Certified Public Accountant and the Cremated 64-Squares Financial Statements by Dwight David Thrash: a selection of the "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" bad-book podcast, it well justified its inclusion. It would be pretty awful even without the egregious, and obvious, copy-and-pasting. (review)
The Executor by Margaret Oliphant: this is a short story that is part of her "Carlingford" stories, inspired by (and in my experience thus far, nowhere as good as) Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire series. (review)
Of Sorrow and Such by Angela Slatter: a small-town witch heals a shapeshifter woman, leading to a series of awful revelations and a startlingly high body count. Bleak. (review)
It has been a busy day. After fighting the ant wars in the kitchen (I swear we are winning) went out for some DIY. Finished Birth of Fire by Jerry Pournelle before the latest ant offensive.My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is pretty standard Pournelle-graphy. Good adventure story set in a gritty future.
My review here
While DIYing, but on the headphones and listened to the last chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Something in this story just begs to be told, not read. I listened while gardening and woodworking, but somehow I was mentally sitting at a fireside while an older relative read this story to a younger me. It just took me right back to childhood.
This time I noticed the excellence of the last sentence or two of every chapter. Somehow Tolkien came up with an excellent summarizing or linking sentence for every one.
My review here
Working on the TBR Cleanup Challenge with my Aries entry, Podkayne of Mars by Heinlein.
Economondos wrote: "istened to the last chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien"which version? I loved the Rob Inglis versions
CBRetriever wrote: "Economondos wrote: "istened to the last chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien"which version? I loved the Rob Inglis versions"
This one has the 1990 copyright. I didn't know there was more than one. It is only the second audiobook I have listened to.
I think that's the one I listed to at almost 52 hours for the entire series
CBRetriever wrote: "I think that's the one I listed to at almost 52 hours for the entire series"Yep. 19 + 16+ 18 = 53 hours. Good thing I have a lot of DIY to work on in the shop this summer and fall.
I never appreciated the songs/poems until I listed to the audio versions - it was quite eye opening to me
I agree, that Tolkien just begs to be read aloud. I read The Hobbit to my son which was a wonderful experience for both of us. We listened to the recent narration by Andy Serkis of LOTR as a family while on road trips with lots of driving. We are nearly finished!
Reading the 5th novel in the avatar-verse The Reckoning of Roku by Randy Ribay. 1/3 in, so far so good! I really enjoyed the Kyoshi and Yangchen's novels, hope this one is also good.
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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Not really. This author also wrote a book about a war between elves and trolls, and how the children of a merman and a human woman tried to adapt to life among humans.