SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2025?
I am currently re-reading Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, and I am enjoying the books just as much as the first time. I have finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit, and I am currently about half way through Record of a Spaceborn Few. So many great characters and found families with enough action and adventure to keep the stories moving.
Jonathan wrote: "I have been re-reading the Revelation Space series by Alistair Reynolds. Really love these books."It's a great series. Enjoy your reread, Jonathan.
Finished one whole book in September! 🥳 although it amounts to about the same number of pages "completed" in August at 150 or so. I made some progress on a much longer book or two, which I hope to be able to review in October. "Better than nothing," again...Central Station by Lavie Tidhar: an evocative mosaic novel featuring a number of characters who live near Central Station--now a space station--sitting on the former Israel/Palestine border. (brief review written during a vacation)
The Enchanted Greenhouse. The main character, Terlu, was turned into a statue as punishment for practicing magic without a license. She comes unstatufied near an enchanted greenhouse. I wasn't a real fan of Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop and this one appears to be similar. But so far, it's a quick, easy, and fairly interesting read.
Continuing The Broken Earth series, so I edited my review of The Fifth Season;A well-written book with poor pacing. It’s not that I wasn’t enthralled—it had tension and (I thought) direction— but its plot twists unravel its expected progressions into stillness; the book goes near-nowhere.
I like this book enough. I’d give it 3.5 stars in ‘liked,’ but its writing itself is usually a 5. The plot drags it down.
Also, I’m not one for horrific, on-screen cruelty. There’s two scenes, around the 20% mark, that really got to me, and not in the good way. It toes the line of sensationalism, and it’s disproportionately against children, all of it abusive, cruel, and systematic, written to shock. Some of it is injustice against magic users in general, and the pain of parents, but not most.
Paradoxically, much of its tone reminded me of The Wheel of Time’s world. I think it’s the magic system and its mysterious organization with factions.
Mai wrote: "The Enchanted Greenhouse. The main character, Terlu, was turned into a statue as punishment for practicing magic without a license. She comes unstatufied near an enchanted greenhou..."So, someone turned the poor lady into a statue in this book? That sounds very interesting!
Sheska wrote: "I started Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. I'm continuing my reading challenge from 2024 and this one meets the time travel criteria. So far, I'm loving the story. Also started the Night Watch by Te..."
Really loved Night Watch, I never quite got anything similar to Terry Pratchett's writing to be honest...
I'm trying my first Charles Stross story: The Atrocity Archives. Started slow, but it's ramped up now.
I just finished reading Europe by Craig Beck. It's a well-written book, but unfortunately, all the plot twists were too predictable.
Read Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky, a fantasy and the third book set in the world of the Palleseen Sway. Excellent book! The prose is engaging and pulls the reader along quickly. The world-building is richly detailed. Numerous characters are developed in depth with the good (a few), the bad (many), and the ugly (plenty of those). The primary characters are new, but a number of characters from the first two books have meaningful roles in this new setting. The story has combat (from individual to army level), mystery, political intrigue, and backstabbing (figurative and literal). Note that the carnage among key characters is significant. No plot armor in this story! (It does have an echo of the historical British consolidation of rule in India, and the author does mention Dalrymple's "The Anarchy" in his endnote.) One quibble I had was that some character decisions and maneuvers near the end seemed designed to move the plot to a place it was not going to go, but that did not spoil the fun. Overall, a strong recommendation for fantasy readers who are not looking for romantasy. I would say three cheers for this book! (Unless . . . ahem . . . you have a frog in your throat. And now I better duck quick . . .)
Colin wrote: "(Unless . . . ahem . . . you have a frog in your throat. And now I better duck quick . . .)"Your dad-joke game is world-class!
Been deep in DIY projects trying to beat the fall rains, so haven't posted much. Recently finished two in Feist's Riftwar series:Silverthorn and
A Darkness at Sethanon
in the evenings,
While working got to listen to some more Penric audiobooks,
The Assassins of Thasalon and
Knot of Shadows
reviews are in the usual place, but are a little more rushed than I like. Now off for some long-neglected housecleaning. Tomorrow back to fixing grout and polishing tile so that everything can be resealed.
Started "The Gods Themselves" but I'm a little bogged down in it. I'm in a little bit of a reading slump. Partly I'm just busy with other things. I started one of the Ursula K Le Guin short stories in my Library of America collection and I didn't get off the first page. I've liked so many of her stories I think I'm just a little distracted.
I recently finished The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. The description of some of the types of magica and mystery of the Hispanic New World adds an element of ethnicity.This completes my reading of the involuntary trilogy. Now there seems to be a fourth book in the de Valle saga: My Name Is Emilia del Valle which I hope to read next year.
I recently finished the Tide Child Trilogy by RJ Barker and I wouldn't say no to more stories in that world.
Bobby wrote: "Started "The Gods Themselves" but I'm a little bogged down in it. I'm in a little bit of a reading slump. Partly I'm just busy with other things. I started one of the Ursula K Le Guin short stories..."For what it's worth, this is the second October in a row where the world outside of reading has weighed heavily enough that I glanced off a book that should be right in my wheelhouse. It happens. Like you, I've found some short stories to read, though not very challenging stories, and used them to just keep moving through.
Now reading Prince of the Blood and listening to Demon Daughter. My wife just found the Witchfinder graphic novels (Hellboy universe) and Black Company series (including Port of Shadows) on computer as Humble Bundles. Not sure when I would have time to read these, but I can find room for some electrons until then.
Bobby wrote: "Started "The Gods Themselves" but I'm a little bogged down in it."Keep going until you reach the second part of the book, where things are told from the aliens (Gods) perspective. It's so good!
Rather than sleep, read Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist this morning.My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Feist gives us returning characters and a mix of new ones (including the protagonist twins) who are all people I want to see in fantasy novels.
My review here
My wife started reading about the Murderbot Diaries and wants to discuss what she found. So a quick diversion to read All Systems Red. While fixing the shower tiles I will continue listening to Demon Daughter (Penric and Desdemona).
All Systems Red is one of those books for me that every time I reread (and I've reread it a lot at this point), my opinion of it grows. I read it first back not long after it was published, and I remember 1) not thinking it lived up to the hype and 2) thinking Wells was a new-ish millennial author! Boy, I was very mistaken on both points. I'm swamped with reading right now and am very slowly getting through a stack of new reads:
Esperance - I'm quite enjoying this one. I like its blend of crime mystery and SF
Days of Shattered Faith - I love Tchaikovsky but I am finding it hard to get into this one. The previous 2 novels in this series were easier for me.
The Cold House - so far, it's really good, so good I keep putting off finishing it because I want not rush my way through the rest
The Witch of Willow Sound - not at all what I expected, a bit more YA than I wanted, not terrible, I hope to finish it
CJ wrote: "All Systems Red is one of those books for me that every time I reread (and I've reread it a lot at this point), my opinion of it grows. I read it first back not long after it was published, and I r..."I'm reading The Cold House, too, and wish I had more than a few minutes at a time to dig into it. If I had, I'd have finished it already. I really like Slatter's writing.
Colin wrote: "Read Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky, a fantasy and the third book set in the world of the Palleseen Sway. Excellent book! The prose is engaging and pulls the reader ..."Sounds very interesting!
Waiting on Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October from the library. I have been on the wait list for more than a minute so it is going to be a squeeze to read it before Halloween!In non-SFF, I just finished Rubicon. Holy Roman Emperor, Batman... that book is essential reading.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And for pure candy, I just demolished The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. Fan-freaking-tastic.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just started Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher. It reminds me of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series. Both main characters are women of science, commanded to work for their king, set in medieval times. So far it's a sweet little read.
Mai wrote: "Just started Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher. It reminds me of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series. Both main characters are women of science, ..."Started this one as well. About halfway in now and enjoying it. So far, a fairly cozy mystery vibe. Sadly, I will have to put it down for about two weeks because there is too much to do and not enough time to do it. Hope you enjoy the rest of the book.
Dean wrote: "And for pure candy, I just demolished The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. Fan-freaking-tastic.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
My library hold still has me waiting a few weeks! Glad to hear it doesn't disappoint.
Blacks In Appalachia, William H. Turner and Edward J. Cabbell (Eds.) Collection of essays. *Fascinating*.
Finished up All Systems Red a couple days ago. And the audiobook of Demon Daughter ran out while I was applying tile sealant in the shower yesterday.Back to my Midkemia reread with Jimmy the Hand and Discworld listen with Pyramids.
I will write the reviews, but just can't right now. Too many projects and not enough sleep.
Colin wrote: "Mai wrote: "Just started Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher. It reminds me of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series. Both main characters are women ..."I enjoyed it despite some confusion about the mechanical details of how the mirror world worked. The humor, the talking cat, and the heroine's social blunders worked for me.
This season cuts into my reading time as well. What you gonna do...shrug.
Just finished chapter 4 of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Our hero wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship sent to stop space algae from consuming enough energy from the sun to cause extinction of life on earth. The author gives us a ton of flashbacks as the amnesia subsides. I really like the pace, the plot, and our hero so far. Looks like the Goodreads Choice Award in 2021 was well deserved.
Mai wrote: "Just finished chapter 4 of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Our hero wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship sent to stop space algae from consuming enough energy from ..."Hope you enjoy the rest of it. For me, this is one of the best hard science fiction novels I have ever read.
Colin wrote: "For me, this is one of the best hard science fiction novels I have ever read."It's being made into a movie starring Ryan Gosling, due out next year - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
Hope they can do as good a job with it as was done with The Martian.
Colin wrote: "Mai wrote: "Just finished chapter 4 of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Our hero wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship sent to stop space algae from consuming enough ..."Exactly!
Trying to do a review a day until I am caught up. Life really got in the way this month.Last week, finished All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There was so much hype about this book I went in expecting to be disappointed. But I wasn't.
My review here
Colin wrote: "Mai wrote: "Just finished chapter 4 of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Our hero wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship sent to stop space algae from consuming enough ..."Loved it!
Stewart wrote: "Colin wrote: "For me, this is one of the best hard science fiction novels I have ever read."It's being made into a movie starring Ryan Gosling, due out next year - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P..."
Sweeet
I've just started Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey by Ardath Mayhar.
I'm fighting my way through the opening chapters of 'Last and First Men' by Olaf Stapledon which was first published in 1930. I'm aware that this is a seminal work for sci-fi writers who followed, and think the concept he's developed here is utterly brilliant. But so far it's reading as an historical treatise rather than a novel. Yes, it's an imagined future and so speculative fiction, but it's generally conveyed through the written word of the narrator and not through the eyes/emotions of characters of the time. Not always – the 'young Mongol' enlivens the tale with his demonstration of his new invention, and the 'Chinese' and 'American' have a discussion about ruling the world with the 'Daughter of Man'. But I found myself wishing to skip through most of it, understanding the gist, focussing only on the key punchlines. I have abandoned my read for now and moved on. Is there someone out there who can offer some hope that 'Last and First Men' is worth returning to and digesting in full?
I have embraced the art of Not Finishing as I've aged. We read fiction for entertainment, and if it's not doing the trick, there's no harm in setting it aside and calling it a day :)
Roger wrote: "I have abandoned my read for now and moved on. Is there someone out there who can offer some hope that 'Last and First Men' is worth returning to and digesting in full?"No. Better respected from its perch on a shelf, not necessarily one's own, and never ever ever opened. I'm sorry you had to experience this tedium and clunkiness.
Going to send out my end-of-month recap a little early. I completed my personal goal of 20 books per year, and may finish a few more before the year is out.The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell: A rather long book that sympathetically depicts Charlotte's brief life. As Gaskell presents her here, I think she is the person most similar to myself that I've come across in either fiction or non-fiction. I'm not alone?!.. maybe I still am, since she died in 1855. (review)
The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton: this was a revisit in audio of a book I'd read not long after it came out in the early 90s. I really like some of the world building, but the constant emphasis on either coercion or SA did not sit well with me. I didn't even notice those aspects back in its day. Times and people change. (review)
Economondos wrote: "Hope you like it!"I've only read a few pages so far because I've been very busy, but the book seems well-written.
Beth wrote: "Going to send out my end-of-month recap a little early. I completed my personal goal of 20 books per year, and may finish a few more before the year is out.
[book:The Life of Charlotte Brontë|3117..."
I once read this biography, and I remember how sad and lonely her life seemed to me. Her sisters and only brother were as talented as she was, yet they died young. It all seems terribly cruel and unfair.
The world would be a better place if talented people lived longer and wrote more good books.
But the only thing I have in common with Charlotte Brontë is that we both created imaginary places as children. She had her Gondal, and I had my imaginary worlds because I read so many fantasy books, and still do.
Taking a second crack at John Langan's, The Fisherman. I won't finish it by Halloween, but I'll at least be well underway.
I read The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi (Book #7 of the Old Man’s War) More fun with the Old Man’s War milieu with alternate realities and advanced civilization. I also read The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (Book #6 of the Robert Langdon series). This was more fun with Robert Langdon, puzzles, and conspiracies set in Prague, Check Republic. I am reading Ship of Magic (Book #1 of the Liveship Traders) by Robin Hobb. Then I plan to read The Female Man by Joanna Russ, which was released in 1975, fifty years ago.
Loved books 1 & 2 of that series. You're making me want to get #7. Even though I'll be skipping 3-6. Good thing I don't mind reading out of order.
In the spirit of Halloween, The Terror by Dan Simmons
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My Rating 3.75 out of 5.
I like the characters and the monster names. Fast-paced story but started getting repetitive by the end of the book. Might read the second one some time in the future.
My review here
Having enjoyed the Tsurani sub-series so much, I am going to binge Raymond E. Feist's Midkemia books for a while. I haven't reread Silverthorn in quite a while, so it's up first.