2025 Science Fiction Team Chat

[CJ]

Good to hear, Shawnie! I'm doing much the same today--I've listened to a couple of Uncanny Magazine podcasts while housecleaning and now going to sit down and read more of The Harbors of the Sun by Martha Wells that I'm reading for one of the bonus summer prompts. Happy reading!

[Ellen]

Time for July prompts already ?
I'm still trying to plan my reading for Science Fiction Settings and finish the Rainbow Read challenge book.

[Kala]

I can't wait to start July prompts.

[CJ]

Anyone have some suggestions for either of these July prompts? All the books I have come up with are either books I don't want to read/reread or not available to me for one reason or another. Books under 500 pages preferred.

- Parentless: Read a book where a main character doesn’t know their parent or a parent dies in the story.

- Aryan Looks: Read a book where a group of characters are expected to display a uniform trait or dress in identical uniforms.

I have Salvation Day by Kali Wallace on hold at my library, and it should fit the Parentless prompt if I understand the book synopsis correctly, but the queue is a little long so I doubt it'll come in before the end of July.

House of Open Wounds seems to fit the Aryan Looks prompt but unfortunately I started it this week for the Summer bonus prompts so I can't use it for the July prompts.

[CBRetriever]

for Aryan Looks: Read a book where a group of characters are expected to display a uniform trait or dress in identical uniforms.

anything that deals with a military entity like a ship (Star Trek books for sure), military academy or other school with uniforms should work

[CJ]

I could probably track down a Star Trek novel somewhere. Thanks!

[Elizabeth]

Thanks for the add to the challenge! I'm going to tryyy to get at least a couple of the June prompts done before the month is over. I definitely have a female main already started and I feel I could easily fill stamina with a shifter book. And I feel most books have at least one manipulative character so hopefully I can do that one too before the month ends.

[Peter]

Welcome to the team, Elizabeth! Don't forget to check out the fun summer reading prompts. Happy reading ahead . . .

[Juliana]

Hi team! I have finally read a BOM! Really liked You Sexy Thing.
I managed to read 3 books in Juny. Fingers crossed to a great July to us all!

[Ellen]

Juliana wrote: "Hi team! I have finally read a BOM! Really liked You Sexy Thing.
I managed to read 3 books in Juny. Fingers crossed to a great July to us all!"

Great Job Juliana! You Sexy Thing is my favorite Book of the Month pick so far this year.

[CJ]

Yay! That's great, Juliana. I ended up enjoying You Sexy Thing more by the end, and will likely read the rest of the series down the line. I am slogging through a reread of One Hundred Years of Solitude right now, but I won't blame anyone if they pass on that one. LOL. Dead Silence wasn't bad but wasn't amazing either. A fast read at least.

[Ellen]

I got One Hundred Years of Solitude from the library in hardback . It's a reread for me too and I'm not looking forward to it. I listened to the audio the first time and wondered at the time if I would enjoy an eye read better because of a lot of characters with similar names.

[Ellen]

We only need 15 more Power Points for the next Object of Power.

[Juliana]

I won't read a BOM this month, but I have already put a hold for The Teller of Small Fortunes with the library. So I hope I'll be able to help with August BOM.

But at least I already read 3 books this month so far. I will try to finished at least one more.

[CJ]

Tim, this is the thread for Team SF doing the Sci fi vs Fantasy Combat game. If you'd like to discuss books that are not currently part of a group challenge or a BotM the Subforum What Else Are you Reading? is probably a better place for such posts. Happy reading!

Juliana wrote: "I won't read a BOM this month, but I have already put a hold for The Teller of Small Fortunes with the library. So I hope I'll be able to help with August BOM.

But at least I alre..."

Good work, Juliana! I'm in the same boat with The Teller of Small Fortunes. I tried to put in a library hold as soon as it looked like it'd win, but it's still a 5-6 week wait. I'm hoping the people in queue ahead of me are fast readers, lol.

I've done all the July prompts, but still have 2 of the Summer bonus prompts to do. I'm currently reading Mona Lisa Overdrive for the Cyberpunk prompt. I can start Venomous Lumpsucker early, but I need to finish some of my Currently Reading books first.

[CJ]

August prompts have dropped!

August Protagonist: Dynamic Leader
1. In Charge: Read a book where the main character serves in any kind of leadership role.
2. Fan Club: Read a book where a character has a substantial fandom.

August Antagonist: Gang-Boss
1. Illegal Trade: Read a book where illegal trade is important to the plot.
2. Recruiter: Read a book where the antagonist successfully recruits more minions.

from Mod's original post

[Sarah]

I’m racking my brain for the illegal trade prompt and coming up short.

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias mentions cartel’s and a cash shipment, but cartels and drug trade is something I’d really rather not read about.

I know The Glass Hotel involved a Shipping company but I can’t remember if any of it was illegal? I’d give that a reread.

Anyone have any other ideas? I’m guessing this is supposed to be like a space piracy kinda book?

[Ellen]

I just finished rereading Dune and it meets all the prompts. Happens to me every month.

[CJ]

Neuromancer by William Gibson would fit Illegal Trade but I know several of us have read/reread it recently, so I was looking at Virtual Light, also by Gibson, which I haven't read yet. I think it'll fit that prompt too.

[Ellen]

I'm marking Virtual Light as a real possibility. I've read Neuromancer and it wasn't a favorite.
On the classic side I'm thinking about To Have and Have Not

[CJ]

For people who don't mind reading a gritty, occasionally violent not-SFF thriller, SA Cosby's King of Ashes has for the main plot the MC getting involved with a gang of drug runners.

[Leonie]

Sarah wrote: "I’m racking my brain for the illegal trade prompt and coming up short.

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias mentions cartel’s and a cash shipment, but cartels and drug trade is something I’..."

What about Trading in Danger or Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon?

[CJ]

Oh, those are good ones. I think I'd rather read Moon than another Gibson right now.

I'm struggling with the antagonist recruiter prompt myself. I think I have the protagonist prompts covered.

[Sarah]

I cannot guarantee this because I haven’t read these, but there’s the Django Wexlef book: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying that might have that.

There is also: Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis has an evil overlord.

For anyone who is okay with a Romantasy title: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan might have this.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi? The MC definitely gets recruited… lol.

And Nimona I think works… but I don’t know if it meets length requirements. Can we count graphic novels? I would not be opposed to giving this a reread. lol

[Sarah]

Reading back the blurb of Nimona, I can’t tell if she gets “recruited” or she is just already there as his sidekick. I thought she kinda showed up as a fan girl and refused to leave but I’m wondering if I remember that wrong, (so recruited is maybe debatable, but there is a person teaming up with a villain).

[Ellen]

For Recruiter I'm going to finish my Lord of the Rings Trilogy reread and use Return of the King. Aragorn recruits the ghost army .

[CJ]

Graphic novels can count, per the game's FAQ, as long as they meet the page count and prompt requirements.

[Sarah]

Nimona definitely meets length requirements. It’s also a group book. And it’s really fun. I will give this a go in August for this prompt. If it doesn’t fit I won’t have wasted much time but I’m pretty sure it does.

Reread for me but I’m okay with it.

[CBRetriever]

Ellen wrote: "For Recruiter I'm going to finish my Lord of the Rings Trilogy reread and use Return of the King. Aragorn recruits the ghost army ."

but isn't Aragorn the protagonist, not the antagonist?

[CJ]

Yeah, the prompt does specifically say the antagonist does the recruiting. So I'm looking for something that fits that more accurately.

[CBRetriever]

CJ wrote: "Yeah, the prompt does specifically say the antagonist does the recruiting. So I'm looking for something that fits that more accurately."

check out the Fantasy thread for some good ideas

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Sarah wrote: "I cannot guarantee this because I haven’t read these, but there’s the Django Wexlef book: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying that might have that.

There is also: Dreadful by Caitlin Rozaki..."

How to Become a Dark lord does have minion recruiting as a major plot point. Lots of swearing, if that's a thing you need to know about ahead of time.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

CBRetriever wrote: "CJ wrote: "Yeah, the prompt does specifically say the antagonist does the recruiting. So I'm looking for something that fits that more accurately."

check out the Fantasy thread for some good ideas"

Doesn't Sauron recruit in one of the books? I want to say Two Towers, but I'm not confident.

[CBRetriever]

Melanie wrote: "CBRetriever wrote: "CJ wrote: "Yeah, the prompt does specifically say the antagonist does the recruiting. So I'm looking for something that fits that more accurately."

check out the Fantasy thread..."

Sauron was recruited and tries to recruit Gandalf in the movie

[Ellen]

CJ wrote: "Yeah, the prompt does specifically say the antagonist does the recruiting. So I'm looking for something that fits that more accurately."

You guys are right. I have some others on my list.
I got my pros and ags mixed up.

[Ellen]

Melanie wrote: "Doesn't Sauron recruit in one of the books? I want to say Two Towers, but I'm not confident."
It's in Fellowship of the Rings.

[Juliana]

Hi team! How are the readings?

I'm going to start The Teller of Small Fortunes for power points this weekend. Anyone will try it to?

The pools for september BOM are up!

I'll also try to find some short and easy books to fill the cover types prompts that I still have open: helix on the cover, any gaming console or DND dice on the cover, anyone in a lab coat or lab beakers on the cover, a computer or code on the cover.

What are you guys reading? Any good recomendations?

[Peter]

Juliana wrote: "Hi team! How are the readings?

I'm going to start The Teller of Small Fortunes for power points this weekend. Anyone will try it to?

The pools for september BOM are up!

I'll als..."

I just finished Fahrenheit 451. I have been thinking a lot about anti-intellectualism and open attacks on knowledge. So I picked up Fahrenheit 451 to be a companion for my own thoughts. The book also happens to fit the theme of reading a book with numbers on the cover.

Recently also finished The Afterlife Project. Still letting this one percolate in my mind before writing a review.

Juliana, you've inspired me to add Le Guin's The Word for World Is Forest to my reading list :)

[CJ]

For helix on cover, I read Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress. Not my favorite SF author but it's a short one.

For dice on the cover, I read Penric and the Bandit by Lois McMaster Bujold, another short one. Not bad. If you liked other Penric books, you'll probably like this one. Apparently any picture of dice will fit the prompt.

For the beakers, I read Stuff Matters by Matt Miodownik, a science non-fiction book. Not thrilling, kind of boring but the audiobook, which has the version of the cover that includes beakers, was tolerable.

For computer code, I read Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace, a not great thriller that felt too YA than the description lets on. I don't recommend it unless you're desperate.

I've read both of the BotMs for August and have posted them in the main combat thread. I also have finished all the bonus summer prompt. I just have 3 of the 4 August prompts to go and am currently reading Entanglement (Stargate Atlantis #6 by Martha Wells for the In Charge prompt. I'm planning on rereading Dune Messiah for the Fan Club prompt and Trading in Danger for the Illegal Trade prompt.

Addendum: I just looked at the September BotM polls and I'm going to be a little unhappy if Of Monsters and Mainframes wins. The library queue for it is long because it's a new release and I will not buy a book that doesn't appeal to me that won because of a bunch of votes from members who don't even read this group's BotMs or participate in any discussions with the group, who apparently just vote because the notice to vote popped up in their GR feed.

[CBRetriever]

CJ wrote: "I just looked at the September BotM polls and I'm going to be a little unhappy if Of Monsters and Mainframes wins. The library queue for it is long because it's a new release and I will not buy a book that doesn't appeal to me that won because of a bunch of votes from members who don't even read this group's BotMs or participate in any discussions with the group, who apparently just vote because the notice to vote popped up in their GR feed. .."

I seldom read the BotM books unless I voted for them. I thought the Mainframe one looked more interesting than the others and it's not that expensive to me (I realize it might be for other people). Of the 16 books added to the bookshelf this year, I only read and commented on four of them. Sometimes there's nothing I want to vote for at all in the options.

ETA: as long as you read the book before the end of the year, you will get a Power point for it

[CJ]

You don't have to defend your vote. My comment wasn't directed at memebers who regularly participate in the group beyond voting in polls.

But yeah, I am in the middle of cancer treatment, I cannot work, so money for books for me is extremely limited and as a rule due to the whole "I have cancer" way of life I must abide by now, I don't buy physical books unless I can get them used and for very cheap when there's no digital option available to me.

And another gripe here is that is directed at someones specifc is with the mods who added that book to the poll knowing it came out last June. My local library doesn't even have it yet, only the other libraries in my state I have a cards for, and the queues for those copies on Libby are months long, so long, I might not even get it before the end of the year.

[Ellen]

I enjoyed Dungeon Crawler Carl but I just read it in July for for the LitRPG/ game prompt in July and I don't think I want to read it again this year if it wins.

[CJ]

Since there's no monthly timeframe limit on BotMs, I don't see why you couldn't count that for a power point if it wins without rereading it. Unless the mods have some specific rule against that that I don't know about.

[Ellen]

Juliana wrote: "I'll also try to find some short and easy books to fill the cover types prompts that I still have open: helix on the cover, any gaming console or DND dice on the cover, anyone in a lab coat or lab beakers on the cover, a computer or code on the cover."

I read The Adventure Zone Vol.1: Here There Be Gerblins for DND dice. Graphic novel, fun easy read.

The Love Hypothesis has lab coat and beakers on the cover. It is a quick read also, a cute romance.

I read You're My IT by C.N. Holmberg for computer on the cover. This is #1 of Holmberg's Nerds of Happy Valley series. It was a fun quick read. I love all the nerdy references. This was the first non fantasy book I've read by her. She writes fantasy under Charlie N. Holmberg.

[Netanella]

CJ wrote: "Since there's no monthly timeframe limit on BotMs, I don't see why you couldn't count that for a power point if it wins without rereading it. Unless the mods have some specific rule against that th..."

That's a question I would like answered. I've already read and used Dungeon Crawler Carl on another prompt, and now it looks likely to be a PowerPoint. So does that necessitate a reread to count twice?

[Ellen]

I think several people from both teams have used it on a prompt.

[CBRetriever]

from the rules at the top of the thread for the challenge

3. To earn Power Points do I have to read the SFFBC book in the month is was selected? Technically no. You may be awarded power points any time AFTER the book was selected.

4. Can a book count for more than 1 prompt if it can fulfill multiple criteria? No. Each book can only be counted for one component: main prompt, monthly prompt, or power point.

looks like I was wrong for #3

and I've been following #4 for not double dipping within the challenge but I have been using books in other challenges like the Power Point team challenge and the 2025 Read All the Books 12: Books by the Dozen which definitely overlap for 2025 books (4 so far)

[CBRetriever]

CJ wrote: "And another gripe here is that is directed at someones specifc is with the mods who added that book to the poll knowing it came out last June. My local library doesn't even have it yet, only the other libraries in my state I have a cards for, and the queues for those copies on Libby are months long, so long, I might not even get it before the end of the year.."

I prefer to wait at least a year so the book might have gone down in price. However, I'm quite content with waiting to read a book later and then commenting on it in the BotM thread. Since I already own the Dungeon Crawler Carl book, I will read and comment on it in the designated month.

I find what really affects me are the Buddy Reads on this forum and another one I belong to. Also, the monthly bonus books that have to be started in and finished in the same month. I feel like I'm going down a slippery slope to the end of the year and so far, with the massive challenge and the ones on other forums, I've already hit 117 books this year. I'm neglecting my other favorite genre: mysteries.

[Juliana]

Peter wrote: Juliana, you've inspired me to add Le Guin's The Word for World Is Forest to my reading list :)

I hope you like it. It was kind of a hard to engage at first, a diferent type of writing then I've been reading lately, but the idea and discussion was so interesting. As always more atual then it should be.

[Juliana]

CJ wrote: "For helix on cover, I read Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress. Not my favorite SF author but it's a short one.

For dice on the cover, I read Penric and the Bandit by L..."

Wow CJ, good job reading all of that! Thanks for the sugestions. I'll look at them.

About the BOM votes, I'm not a fan of horror stories and my local library don't even have Of Monsters and Mainframes,