Books I would like to see reviewed

[Luke]

Zivan wrote: "I've just finished rereading Space Opera by Catherine M. Valente.

I was surprised to see that Luke hasn's reviewed it."

It's on my "read" shelf here on Goodreads, marked as read in 2019. I think I gave it a try but it didn't stick. I have vague feelings that I didn't like it and didn't get very far into it.

This is bad news for you if you'd like an episode about it, because I trust 2019 Luke's opinion that it's not for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2783664208

[Ryan]

I co-sign the opinion of 2019s Luke. The levels of stupidity in Space Opera rivals that of Amatka and had me thinking that I'd never read a Valente novel again despite enjoying their Mass Effect novel.

[Zivan]

No, if you didn't connect with it's style you shouldn't read it. It keeps the same tone all the way to the end.

[Ryan]

I'd definitely recommend Chaingang Allstars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. It's set in a near-future USA where prison inmates with serious offenses (murder, rape, etc) are given the option -- if that's the right word -- to fight in wildly popular and profitable bloodsport games. The novel explores the concepts of justice and redemption in a way I found thoughtful. The author does an excellent job, IMO, of humanizing his characters, while also not letting the reader see anyone in the story as innocent. The audiobook production was good, too. Not a perfect book, but discussion worthy and I'd give it 4 stars.

PS. You've taken a couple recommendations from "Ryan" in the recent past, but we're different people. :)

[Ryan]

We're the same person. Stop denying our singular existence!

(I'm fairly sure that Luke knows we're from different accounts)

[Ryan]

LOL, sorry, I keep not doing my part for the collective.

I could be misremembering what he said on his podcast a month or d so ago, but it sounded like he had the Ryans mixed up.

[Carlos]

I would like to recommend JT Rath’s Infinitude (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...). He’s a relatively new author, and this is his first SF book, but I rather enjoyed it! Thanks!

[Ryan]

I recently finished PKD's The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, which I enjoyed nearly as much as High Castle, Androids, and Ubik. It's got some interesting, ahead-of-their-time contemplations in it and would be a discussion-worthy read, IMO. From your episode list, it doesn't look like you've covered it.

[Ryan]

I gave 3.5 stars to The Mercy of Gods, the start of a new series from the writers of The Expanse, but that's just my opinion. It has a making-sense-of-aliens plot that you might enjoy.

[Hollowman]

Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker seems to get a lot of critical praise. And Wikipedia reports this:
"
The novel is one of the most highly acclaimed novels in science fiction. "

So maybe Sfbrp can devote an episode to SM.

[Zivan]

You may want to check out The EmployeesThe Employees by Olga Ravn.

As a writer I think you'll enjoy the experimental story telling through snippets of interviews with the crew of a starship, It deals mostly with their psychology on the long journey, their relationship to their work and to a number of mysterious alien objects they found.

It is both literary, artistic and deals with science fictional ideas.

As an Audiobook it is very short, 2 hours long. But allot is packed in there.

[Zivan]

This one is for Juliane,

It's a Holmes style murder mystery set in interesting biotech world.

The Tainted Cup

My Review:

This Holmes and Watson duo really captured me. The fact that the setting isn't London, but a province near the seawall that protects a biotech empire from seasonal attack by giant leviathans makes it much more appealing.

The biotech isn't mimicking current or future technology, it mainly enhances natural abilities. The augmentations have repercussions and unwanted side effects.

The story is toled in first person by Dinios Kol, an engraver, augmented to have perfect recall. He is very competent but suffers from imposter syndrome as he tries to hide his dyslexia from his superiors.

Kol is assigned to assist the eccentric genius investigator Ana Dolabra, an over sensitive woman that has to blindfold herself in order to manage the amount of information assaulting her brain. Kol assits her by going out into the world and recalling what he's seen and heard.

As the plot thickens, we learn more about the empire and its ills.

As mysteries go, our attention is pointed towards many clues, the satisfaction is more in watching competent people do a good job in the face of adversity.

[Allen]

Has Luke read the Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman series?

I am not sure if it is classified as Science Fiction, but it does have aliens, space ships, AI, advanced technology, but all that is mixed with a lot of humor, talking cats, monsters, more monsters, gods, smaller deities, magic (or maybe just advanced tech).

It is not the type of book I would normally even consider listening to, but after about the 20th person recommended it to me I gave and and bought the first book (13 hours). By the end of the week I had listened to the first 6 (all about 20 hours long) and was desperately waiting for the 7th to be released. These are without doubt the most addictive books I have every read.

I have recommended them to about 40 people who normally listen to a very wide spectrum of genres and 39 of them became addicted about 1 hour into the first book. My wife says we are all in a cult now.

But anyway it would be amazing to hear what Luke thinks of Carl.

[Luke]

I would like to hear an episode on Light of the Impossible Stars by Gareth L Powell. It is the third book in the Embers of War trilogy and it would be nice to have the full trilogy reviewed on the podcast

[RippedPagesLLC]

Hi Luke,
I represent a Sci-fi/Speculative Fiction author, Carl Wilhoyte. I would love to discuss a potential review collaboration for your podcast.

[Hollowman]

Robert Silverberg--Dying Inside (1972)

Silverberg's best work. Period. Fullstop. End of line.