SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2025?
Another monthly round-up with just two books. One was over 500 pages long, so that's something.This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman: some long books don't feel long, and some do. This one's the latter. A great beginning and epilogue bookend some interesting concepts and events, but the middle dragged. (review)
Neuromancer by William Gibson: this was a reread about 40 years after I read it the first time. Interesting takes on alternate states of consciousness, and various forms of life and death. Super-cool scene setting in places. (review)
Travis wrote: "Jabotikaba wrote: "I have just finished reading The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding. It's a very good book, I think. Now I have started reading the second book in the trilogy, The Shadow Casket."I o..."
I read his children's book Malice when I was a kid, but I wasn't very impressed and quickly forgot the author's name.
Recently I was recommended this author in another group and started reading the trilogy. It turned out to be much better than the children's book, so it's really worth reading. The rest of Chris Wooding's books are also very good, as I suspected.
Just had time to write the review for On the Oceans of Eternity by S.M. StirlingMy rating: 4.25 of 5 stars
Normally I like the ending to wrap up all the subplots. But in this one the open secondary plotlines seem to be just right. There is a whole world we could see and Stirling shows us that some intrepid souls are up to the task.
My review here
Starting in on The Lies of Locke Lamora, which has been so highly recommended here.
The new standalone SF novel from Edward Ashton, The Fourth Consort
, was really amusing and a darn good read:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The second book in Edward Ashton's Mickey7 series, Antimatter Blues
, got 4* from me here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
A Second Chance
by Jodi TaylorChronicles of St. Mary's #3.. Max and the gang time-travel to Troy to try to see Helen, Achilles, Paris and the Horse. Things don't go exactly according to plan. Lots of weird time-travel stuff happens which I really enjoy. But I didn't really buy the ending of the book. So 3 stars.
Finished up The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch minutes before the alarm went off this morning.My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good story hurt by a chopped-up storytelling method. My apologies to the many people who recommended this series, but no. 3.25/5
My review here
Read The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. This is alternate history, dystopia, a murder mystery, and noir fiction. The backbone of the world-building is the Alaskan Settlement Act of 1940 that created an autonomous District of Sitka as a haven for Jews (such an idea was actually discussed but never went anywhere) and the collapse of Israel after three months of war in 1948 sending even more refugees to the district. At the time of the story, the district is due to revert to Alaska in a couple of months leaving its population with no home and nowhere to go. The plot opens with the protagonist, bottoming-out-alcoholic Meyer Landsman, whose life is a wreck, being called to see a mystery man who has been shot to death in the flophouse hotel Landsman is living in. The book is a rich stew of amazingly drawn, morally gray (to bankrupt) characters, large chunks of Yiddishkeit, and several pinches of chess. It is a good, intriguing mystery. What I did not like was the ending. It felt like the author had backed himself in a zugzwang of his own and came up with a solution too glib and too politically grand for the story that led up to it. That was not enough, though, for me to knock it down a star. A really good read overall.
Tales from the Folly
by Ben AaronovitchCollection of short stories from the Rivers of London world. Very nice , a bit uneven. 3 stars.
Economondos wrote: "Finished up The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch minutes before the alarm went off this morning.My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good story hurt by a chopped-up storytelling method. My apologies to the ..."
That was largely my feelings for that book too. Other readers absolutely love it. I did not.
I just finished a long overdue reread of 1984. My duty to literary SF/dystopian is done for the month. While it is in many ways a very excellent, important novel, there remains things about it that I just do not like.
I'm currently reading This World is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa, and will be starting The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson now that I'm done with 1984. The latter is both for my cyberpunk reading project and a group read with another GR group. Also will be reading the short work Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson this weekend.
Outside of genre fic, I'm reading some poetry this month for National Poetry Month and am currently reading DEAR GOD. DEAR BONES. DEAR YELLOW. by Noor Hindi. I finished up A Film in Which I Play Everyone by Mary Jo Bang last night thanks to insomnia.
Oh and I'm close to finishing my umpteenth reread of the whole Murderbot Diairies. I've been having bad insomnia lately and that's largely what I've been reading in the odd hours of the morning.
Mod
I started but did not finish this one. The tone of the audio narrater was too depressing... Do I want to give it another go?
Mod
-first impression: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
-spoiler: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
CJ wrote: "The latter is both for my cyberpunk reading project and a group read with another GR group."I'm pondering a similar project with books I have in my own library, either as first reads or rereads. My most recent find from a storage box is Shadowboxer, which I picked up only because a friend I had in the 90s was a fan of Nicholas Pollotta's Bureau 13. Maybe it'll be fun. To my surprise, it looks Shadowrun novels are still being published?? Or they were as of 2024.
Economondos wrote: "Finished up The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch minutes before the alarm went off this morning.My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good story hurt by a chopped-up storytelling method. My apologies to the ..."
I read this book a few years ago and thought it was quite good. But there was nothing in it that made me want to read the next one.
This author's wife, a lady called Elizabeth Bear, has written a very interesting The Eternal Sky trilogy, by the way, and I highly recommend you check those books out. They're much better than her husband's writing!
Jabotikaba wrote: "The Eternal Sky trilogy, by the way, and I highly recommend you check those books out"On my virtual way to check those out. Thanx!
Economondos wrote: "Jabotikaba wrote: "The Eternal Sky trilogy, by the way, and I highly recommend you check those books out"On my virtual way to check those out. Thanx!"
My pleasure!
This is a unique story. It's practically a retelling of the poem "Ruslan and Ludmila", written in the 19th century by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Well, it would be more correct to call him Afro-Russian, because his great-grandfather was African. Basically, the poem is based on Eastern Slavic legends and tells the story of a great warrior whose wife was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, so the warrior had to make a long journey to the sorcerer's mountain stronghold and kill him.
But this is not just a retelling of an old poem. In this story, the main protagonists are not Slavs, but fictional people like medieval Mongols, because the author obviously likes the history of the Mongol Empire. And the main protagonist (the warrior who has to save his wife) is loosely based on Shiban. This Shiban was a Mongol prince and general, and the grandson of Genghis Khan and the younger brother of Batu Khan, and he played a big part in the siege of Moscow and almost killed the Hungarian king in one of the battles a few years later. As for the mountain stronghold, it is based not only on the stronghold of the sorcerer in the old poem, but also on the fortress where the Ismailis lived in the Middle Ages. I don't know how to explain it, but in this trilogy poetry and alternate history are mixed in the most unique way.
I just finished A Confederacy of Dunces, which isn’t fantasy at all but felt like reading a cursed scroll written by a mad bard. Honestly, it’s pure chaos — one of those books where the main character is so insufferable, you start questioning your own sanity.On the fantasy side, I'm diving back into darker stuff soon — I need a palate cleanser made of blood and gods 😅 Open to recommendations if anyone’s into cosmic horror or morally grey characters!
Late last night, finished up The Ghost Brigades by John ScalziMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Found this to be really average - which makes it the worst Scalzi novel I have read, the others range from great to excellent.
I am working through recommended books and the next is Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, which has been recommended by several people, most recently Evestar91. Jabotikaba, my copy of Range of Ghosts is on the purchase list.
The Echoes Saga Book 5 Kingdom Of Bones
I have read all of the current books in the Sun Eater Series by Christopher Ruocchio. It is one of the best series I have read in a long time! I highly recommend it.
I'm about to finish The Violent Century by Lavie Tidhar and reading it right after Blitz by Daniel O'Malley the resemblances are amazingWWII to present = check
characters with super powers = check
based in or out of the UK = check
love story is a minor part = check
both well written = check
interesting super powers = check
big difference is that Tidhar's has males as the primary characters and O'Malley's has females in those roles. However both are good, page-turning, etc books.
Finished up Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson last night.My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The gimmick for the book is that the author constantly breaks the fourth wall to address the readers directly. It is a gimmick that turns me off. If the writing had not been so good, and some characters surprisingly relatable, it would have gone DNF.
My review here
For a complete change of pace (and because used copies of the next two just arrived) I am reading A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn. Both authors I thoroughly enjoy.
I'm reading an ARC of Corvus. The jury is still out. I just don't feel a connection with the MC and this series as I did with the previous series.
I have read all of the current "Sun Eater" series by Christopher Ruocchio. Just got to say that I love it!
Reqding Sanderson. Started in Feb.. I’m on Rhythm of War currently.
I found Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo to be a disappointment. The book is labeled as a "companion novella" to the author's novel, The Chosen and the Beautiful, a retelling of The Great Gatsby with a magical realism approach, which I really enjoyed. Set about twenty years later, the new novella is, to me, more magic than realism. I found the connection of the main characters to the ones in the previous book (never mind the original), beyond their names, to be quite tenuous. Neither plot nor character development really worked for me.
a few books on the go, i try to read some Dickens every day and i am half way though Barnaby Rudge, one of my all time favourites. i am also chronologically reading Agatha Christie's mystery novels, the Discworld series and the doctor who spin offs. the Saga of tgecSeven Suns is also being worked through.
P. C. Cast's, Boudicca. I've wanted to read more historical novels, and I'm something of a Boudicca buff, so I couldn't say no.
I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir! It’s full of science AND heart. Beautifully written.
Tim wrote: "a few books on the go, i try to read some Dickens every day and i am half way though Barnaby Rudge, one of my all time favourites. i am also chronologically reading Agatha Christie's mystery novels..."What you are saying is that you have a list of really good stuff to go through. Wish I had your dedication to specific author reading.
Reading Selected Poems of John Keats. Dan Simmons' Hyperion got me on a Keats kick. Used to enjoy poetry in high school long ago.
Bobby wrote: "Reading Selected Poems of John Keats. Dan Simmons' Hyperion got me on a Keats kick. Used to enjoy poetry in high school long ago." Hyperion is perhaps my favourite sci fi book so far and I did the same as you, read a bunch of Keats and some other works that it made me think of, including John Muir's The Yosemite. For me, this is the best kind of experience, when a book leads me down a rabbit hole of other works.
Sheska wrote: "... including John Muir's The Yosemite..." I should read The Yosemite. I loved Muir's Travels in Alaska.
Couldn't sleep this morning and finished up A Call to Duty (1) by David WeberMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Glad to see this team-up of David Weber and Timothy Zahn (two of my favorite authors). A solid space opera offering.
My review here
Continuing with the second in the series, A Call to Arms. Also listening to Wizard's First Rule and finally found out what the rule is: (view spoiler)
I recently finished reading The Three-Body Problem. It's now one of my favourite hard sci-fis, one I'm very glad to have been introduced to. I see this group has read it before. Definitely a 10/10 for me, would recommend to any fans of Asimov.I'm currently reading Meditations. It has some excellent takes on life and the world that have aged perfectly to the modern day. Very enlightening so far.
I read “Pandemics: A Very Short Introduction” yesterday. It was a fascinating and informative overview of history and state of the art science.
1. All Better Now by Neal Shusterman2. Ambessa by C.L. Clark (I loved Arcane: League of Legends)
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (the movie was awesome)
4. Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
Anybody seen Arcane?
I finished Corvus last night, then found myself in the mood for historical fiction. I'm reading Agincourt.
Deon wrote: "1. All Better Now by Neal Shusterman2. Ambessa by C.L. Clark (I loved Arcane: League of Legends)
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (the movie was awesome)
4. Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
..."
I've seen the first episode, at which point my child and I decided to wait until we had time in the Schedule to watch it with their dad.
Michelle wrote: "I finished Corvus last night, then found myself in the mood for historical fiction. I'm reading Agincourt."How's Corvus, Michelle?
Michael wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I finished Corvus last night, then found myself in the mood for historical fiction. I'm reading Agincourt."How's Corvus, Michelle?"
I didn't like it at all, Michael. It was one of those books where it feels like a chore picking it back up. But now I'm reading Bernard Cornwell, and this one's not a chore :)
Just finished up A Call to Arms by David WeberMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great climactic battle. I like that Thomas Pope (who keeps all the Honor Harrington lore for that community) appears as an author.
My review here
Tonight I will begin the last book in the trilogy A Call to Vengeance.
Four books read in April! I'd like to have more than two "eyeball read" completions in a month sometime this year, but it didn't happen this time either.The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace by Lucy Worsley (audio): while it's evident that Worsley put a lot of effort into research for this book, the approach is light and accessible. The group portrait on the staircase at Kensington palace was a good jumping-off point for topics from court dress to 18th-century medicine. (review)
Beware of Chicken 4 by "CasualFarmer" (audio): collection of serialized episodes first published on Royal Road. Cute portal fantasy about a young man (literally) starting a new life as a farmer in a China-esque fantasy land. Easy listening with a large and charming cast and an excellent narrator. (review)
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: one of those classics I somehow missed reading. I'm not sure that it had a whole lot new to tell me, but it was interestingly told. (review)
Chapelwood by Cherie Priest: I really enjoyed the first book in this duology featuring an alternate-universe Lizbeth (Lizzie) Borden fighting Cthulhian horrors. This one had its moments, but wasn't all that compelling overall. (review)
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I own this book but haven't started. Glad to hear you liked it. I've never read anything by Chris Wooding.